


Closer

by LilyInTheSnow, WitchyLurker



Series: Howling for You [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (a smidge), Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Background Relationships, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Grumpy Bucky Barnes, Identity Porn, Knotting, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega Bucky Barnes, Self-Lubrication, Shrunkyclunks, Shrunkyclunks Big Bang 2019, Top Steve Rogers, Werewolves, background clint/natasha - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-27 22:02:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19798660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyInTheSnow/pseuds/LilyInTheSnow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchyLurker/pseuds/WitchyLurker
Summary: Bucky doesn't need Natasha and Clint trying to set him up with an Alpha. Again. The last few had been utter disasters and he's not at all interested in the new one they bring up. He's not. Especially so close to the full moon and his heat. He just wants to go to the herbalist and get his tea so he can stave off another heat and be left alone. He doesn't need an Alpha. He just kind of wants one. And the one that he kind of wants is the herbalist.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome to the first ever fic I've managed to finish for a bang! Hope y'all enjoy! 
> 
> Super amazing artwork by the super awesome [WitchyLurker](http://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchyLurker/pseuds/WitchyLurker) coming soon!!! <3
> 
> ETA: The artwork is here and absolutely gorgeous!
> 
> Beta'd by the also super awesome panthergyrl over on tumblr! (Sorry, it's not letting me add another link.) <3

“I am not grumpy, Natasha!” He wasn’t. He just wasn’t in the mood for company, Natasha’s attempted matchmaking, Clint rummaging through the fridge in his fur, or the discussion he knew she wanted to have about said attempted matchmaking.

“You always get grumpy before the full moon. And you get extra grumpy when it’s close to your-”

A rumbling growl cut her off and she reached over and pinched the pointed tip of his ear between her thumb and forefinger. A yelp followed and she gave him a small smile when he glared at her while rubbing his ear. 

“Rude.” At least she hadn’t scruffed him. That would’ve been embarrassing. He knew from past experience. Mostly it was from their childhood when she hadn’t yet been in complete control of her Alpha instincts. He couldn’t count the times she’d scruffed him when he’d been off trying to do things little Omegas weren’t supposed to have done. She had gotten ahold of herself eventually though and especially now since she had her own Omega to dote on she didn’t dote on him or try to protect him nearly as much as she used to. It was still annoying though. Before she’d been bonded to Clint she had satisfied her Alpha instincts by doting on him whether he needed it or not. She had always shown up randomly with food or nesting materials, sometimes both, and bundled him up on the couch to snuggle while watching Netflix. She never went in his bedroom though. She knew it wasn’t proper for an Alpha to be in an unbonded Omega’s den. Not that she would have done anything but snuggle him to death anyway, but still.

He heard something fall and shatter and whipped toward the kitchen to see Clint looking pitifully at a broken jar of boysenberry jam that he had knocked out of the fridge. Bucky only rolled his eyes at the wolf with the still healing scratch on its nose and knew its fur covered up a multitude of other injuries. Like a black eye and bruised ribs. Natasha had always wanted someone to baby and take care of, even while pretending not to, and she’d found them in Clint. He was accident prone, always hungry, and could usually be found getting beaten up by members of the Russian mafia. He could even sometimes be found in dumpsters with another wolf named Matt. Bucky didn’t know what the hell was up with that, but Matt was blind so maybe that had something to do with it. Either way Foggy needed to keep a better eye on him, especially if he was going to be running around with a disaster like Clint.

Clint nosed around the jam and Natasha stomped a foot on the floor to get his attention since he couldn’t wear his hearing aids while shifted. “No, you can’t still eat it. I refuse to take you to the emergency room for having swallowed glass.” Bucky thought he heard her mumble _again_ under her breath but wasn’t sure. He knew Clint was a mess and a half on a good day, but hopefully he hadn’t ever actually swallowed glass. It honestly wouldn’t surprise Bucky if he had though.

Bucky watched Natasha go into the kitchen, reach into the fridge for a package of raw chicken, and then tear it open and sit it on the floor for her Omega. Clint pounced on it like he was starving and Bucky watched with a frown as Clint scooted the tray across the floor in his vigor while Natasha cleaned up the mess from the broken jar of jam while he pretended not to be jealous.

He wasn’t jealous of them exactly. He was jealous because he wanted what they had. He wanted an Alpha. Wanted someone to love him and protect him even though he was perfectly capable of protecting himself. He just wanted it from an Alpha that didn’t try to do it just because he was an Omega. Biological imperatives only went so far as an excuse. He didn’t mind Natasha doing it as much because he’d known her since they were pups. It still aggravated him though. It never seemed to bother Clint but that was probably because Clint needed protecting more than even he realized. Seriously, without Natasha Clint would probably be dead in a dumpster somewhere. Most likely Matt would be in that same dumpster with him, too. Still, Bucky wanted what they both had. 

Natasha returned after cleaning up Clint’s mess and sat next to Bucky again, eyeing him warily. He knew she was expecting him to argue more, but he wasn’t going to. He didn’t need to. He wasn’t grumpy no matter how close it was to the full moon or to his heat. He still had a couple weeks to go to the herbalist to get the tea that would turn his heat from a nightmare into little more than a few cramps and a headache. He’d rather have minor cramps than want for an Alpha that wasn’t there. Even as advanced as their toys were getting now they were still next to useless during a heat. Vibrators could only do so much at that point.

“Would you at least consider talking to me about it?”

“No.”

“James.”

“I refuse.”

“Please.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Okay. Grumpy pants.” He growled at her again, swatting at her hands when she tried to pinch his ear again.

“I am not in the mood, Natasha! That doesn’t mean I’m grumpy!”

“You get PMS just like Clint does. You can’t help it.”

“I do not have pre-moon syndrome!” Seriously, Jesus, she needed to not. It wasn’t his fault. He blamed his ma for that. She’d always had PMS bad. His sisters had been lucky and it didn’t bother them at all.

Natasha pulled him into her arms and he held his breath to keep from breathing in the calming scent he knew she was putting out. Stupid stuff would knock the fight out of him in a heartbeat and it wasn’t fair. He wanted to be left alone to be grumpy in peace and he’d go talk to the new herbalist she had found him later. He had time.

“You have to breathe at some point.”

He growled at her while stomping his feet on the floor to get Clint’s attention and the goofball rushed over and squeezed between them with a needy whimper, forcing Natasha to let Bucky go. Bucky scratched behind his ears in thanks and knew that even though Clint provided a good distraction Natasha would not give up on her not so subtle matchmaking attempts.

***

Knowing didn’t prepare Bucky for the nightmare that was Natasha breaking into his apartment while he slept, though technically it wasn’t breaking in because she had a key, and crashing in his living room with Clint so they could both pounce on him first thing in the morning. He groaned when he walked into the living room to find Clint, in his skin for once, wrapped around Natasha like a black and blue octopus. He did have the black eye Bucky thought he might. It was faded a bit from what he could tell, a few days old at least. He needed to stop fighting so much. Although, knowing Clint, he had accidentally walked into the wall on the way to get coffee after first waking up.

“Hear me out before you start snarling, okay?” Bucky rolled his eyes when Natasha wormed out of her mate’s hold. “He’s a really great guy.”

“You said that about Brock and he was a total jackass.” Their half a date had been a disaster from start to finish when Bucky had thrown his wine in the Alpha’s face and then stormed out of the restaurant. Dude had been an arrogant douche nozzle from the minute Bucky had been escorted to the table until the minute he had left. Brock had been one of those Alphas who were the most Alpha to ever Alpha, or at least thought they were. It was fuckin’ annoying and then he’d turned out to be some Hydra douchebag anyways.

“That was terrible judgment on my part. I actually checked this one out this time.”

Bucky huffed and made his way into the kitchen to make some coffee. It would, if not wake him up enough to deal with this, wake Clint up so he could distract Natasha.

“James, Bucky, please just go on this one date, okay? I’ll quit trying to set you up if this guy is a loser.”

He narrowed his eyes at her while scenting the air and realized she was telling the truth. Or she at least believed she was telling the truth. He’d find an Alpha all on his own and even if he didn’t he’d be okay. He didn’t _need_ an Alpha, he just kind of wanted one. His mother would’ve told him it was his biological clock ticking, but he knew she just wanted grandbabies. And since his sisters were just barely in their twenties and didn’t plan on giving her any anytime soon, she’d start nagging him sooner or later. He didn’t even want pups. Not for a while anyway. 

Natasha pouted at him and he groaned. Maybe the guy would be decent this time and even if he wasn’t it might get her off his back. Probably this one date wouldn’t hurt anything. Unlike the last four because Natasha had horrible taste in men, except for Clint. “Fine, but this is the last date I let you set me up on. And he better be the most perfect Alpha to ever Alpha or I’ll bite your face off. Like, Captain America levels of perfect, okay? And it’s got to be after my heat and the full moon. I’m not in the mood for dating right now.” Why the hell had no one come up with some kind of herbal concoction for PMS yet? PMS was bad enough on its own, but because the world hated him, his heat was lined up with the full moon like some kind of evil sorceress was going to use his cycle for a spell instead of planetary alignments and star signs.

“You got yourself a deal.” Natasha spit in her hand then held it out to him and he grimaced, that was so gross, and then spit in his own and reached out with a shudder to shake her hand and seal the deal. It was so, so gross.

The coffee maker gurgled its last gurgle and he turned away to pour a mug for himself then grabbed the large travel mug he kept on hand for Clint so he wouldn’t drink straight from the carafe.

“You gonna tell me about him or let me be surprised?”

“Well-”

“Oh! I wanna do it!” Bucky turned to see Clint jump up from the floor, trip over the coffee table, fall into the couch, bounce off the back, and then jump across the living room into the kitchen, skidding to a stop seconds before crashing into Natasha. “He’s hot. Like…really hot. And he’s bigger than you and has nicer arms than I do. He’s really nice too. And his eyelashes are like whoa. And he’s got a nice a-” He cut himself off when Natasha lifted an eyebrow with an amused grin. “I mean, he uh…he’s cool.”

“Uh huh…okay.” Bucky was less than comforted. His hot and Clint’s hot were two very different things, but Clint was confident enough in his sexuality that he helped Bucky scope out hot Alpha males from time to time and the guy did pretty well with helping Bucky pick out hot dudes. Sometimes anyway. Other times he was so far off the mark it was comical, but Bucky wasn’t entirely sure he was being serious about it those times.

“He really is handsome. He’s got blond hair and blue eyes and he’s definitely your type. I have a good feeling about him.” Natasha grinned deviously and Bucky whimpered. He was screwed and not in the super fun being pinned down and fucked six ways from Sunday kind of way. He knew better.

His date, when he had it, was going to be a terrible disappointment just like the last few he’d gone on. Alphas either hated him because he wasn’t the typical Omega type, wasn’t small, seemingly frail, or delicate; he didn’t look like he needed to be protected. Or they hated him because they saw him for how he looked and it made them want to dominate him even more and get pissed off when they realized they couldn’t. He might have been a desperately horny, _technically_ virgin Omega, but he wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t going to let just any Alpha take him.

He could, he knew he could, but he wouldn’t. There were even services you could hire that would pair you with an Alpha for your heat or an Omega for your rut and they provided a very valuable service and had tons of rules and regulations to prevent mishaps. Bucky didn’t trust easy and while he knew it was a way to get through his heat, he’d rather just drink his awful tea than ever go through a heat again. He’d only had two in his life, one when he’d presented and one because his tea hadn’t worked. Usually he could start drinking it when he felt his pre-heat coming up and drink it a few times after, but last time it hadn’t worked at all and he’d been miserable the entire time. He was not going to let that happen again. Hence the new guy Natasha had pointed him toward.

He was supposed to be the best herbalist this side of the world. Bucky hoped it wasn’t all talk and he could actually mix him up something to keep his heat at bay. He didn’t want pups so didn’t need to go through his heat. That and heats were just fucking miserable and it was going to be even worse this time what with the full moon the same week.

***

Bucky wasn’t sure what he’d expected of the herbalist’s shop, maybe kind of shady and run down like the one he’d used previously, but he hadn’t expected this. The tiny front of the shop, barely as wide as an alley, was tucked in between two buildings. It looked decades old, and probably was, but whoever owned it kept it up so nothing was falling apart. The door was heavy dark stained oak with two small rectangular frosted glass windows that had Steve’s painted on them in gold. Bucky was pretty sure it was actually real gold and wondered if the herbalist was an alchemist or knew someone that was. He also figured that people only knew about Steve’s by word of mouth since the door or windows gave no other indication as to what lay beyond them.

He reached for the antique brass doorknob, half expecting the door to be locked, and blinked in surprise when it turned and the door opened before he reached it. He waited for someone to exit and when no one did he walked in to see two of the Fair Folk smiling at him. He smiled back out of habit and then bowed lowly. He didn’t have much to do with the Sidhe, didn’t know the proper protocols, but they must have appreciated the bow because they laughed and each of them pressed a kiss to his forehead, leaving a faint tingle on his skin, before leaving the store. He turned to watch them leave and the door closed behind them without being touched. How odd.

He walked further into the shop, nose already wrinkled against what he assumed would be the strong stench of various herbs and oils and candles. Places like this always burned his nose and made him sneeze. Instead he only scented a subtle blend of lemongrass and verbena along with other wolves that had probably been there for the same reason he was.

When he turned his attention back to the place instead of its scents he saw rows and rows of bookshelves, filled with more books than any one person could ever possibly read unless they had a hell of a lot longer lifespan than humans did and definitely more than what it had seemed possible from the outside. Magic. Which might explain the Sidhe, but it also could’ve been a witch. Half of the shelves were covered in glass jars and boxes full of herbs and crystals. Necklaces with various wire wrapped stones hung from a glittering display in the middle of the room. One wall was covered in what he thought might be pallets with grids of dark soil and leafy green things sprouting from them. More herbs he figured. On the back wall that shouldn’t exist was a jet beaded curtain that twinkled in the low light and the faint scent of a human drifted through. He frowned and wondered how the hell a human was going to help with the herbs to suppress his heat as he turned back toward one of the shelves.

“He’s not. But if he had to he would know how.”

Shit. Bucky turned back to see a handsome black dude walking out from behind the curtain that jangled delicately as it was moved.

“You shouldn’t judge people like that.”

“I’m a wolf. I trust my nose. Most humans wouldn’t know how.”

“Most humans don’t care to know as much about werewolves as I do.”

“Sorry. I’m looking for Steve? I guess. My friend Natasha sent me. Said someone here can help. The last batch of tea from my regular guy didn’t work.”

“How long has it been since you had a proper heat?”

“When I presented,” Bucky looked away from those too knowing eyes and shrugged. “The last one wasn’t exactly proper. My tea didn’t work so I had one, but-”

“It lasted five days and was twelve out of ten on the Holy Shit I’m Going to Die scale.”

“Eight and more like a seventeen. Wound up in the hospital for a couple days.”

The beaded curtain jangled again and Bucky looked over to see the most beautiful Alpha he’d ever seen in his life. The guy ticked all of Bucky’s boxes. The physical ones at least. Six feet tall, blond hair, blue eyes, perfect fucking lips, broad muscled shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist, and long legs that ate up the ground as he walked toward him. Bucky swallowed the flood of saliva that filled his mouth and thanked the heavens for the super snug white t-shirt the Alpha was wearing. It looked painted on and Bucky wanted nothing more than to rub up against him and nuzzle him. Mark him up with his own scent so people would know he was off limits. Hot dude was hot and Bucky wanted to sit on his lap and ride him off into the sunset, full moon, whatever. Captain America, who? Jesus, this guy looked perfect. 

Handsome Black Dude laughed, clapped the now blushing blond on the shoulder, and then shook his head. “Looks like you can handle this one, Steve.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Sam.” It came out strangled and Bucky blinked then groaned and blushed crimson when he realized he must have said all that out loud instead of just in his head where only he and the Handsome Black Dude could hear. Of course he’d said it out loud. Why? Because fuck his life, that’s why. Awesome.

“Jesus, I’m so sorry. I do this thing sometimes where I stick my foot in my mouth and make people uncomfortable. Fuck my life.”

“Well,” the Alpha said with an unfairly attractive smirk. “At least I know you’re flexible.”

Bucky did not at all whimper. He refused to let himself sound like the needy Omega he really was. “Um...yeah. I uh...need something for my heat. So I won’t have one, I mean.”

“Sure. How soon is it coming up?”

“Full moon.”

The drawn out, “fuuuuck” didn’t make him feel any better.

“Exactly.” 

The herbalist blew out a heavy breath and rested his hands on his hips, looked like he was working himself up for something, then sighed again.

“I’m going to assume that you’ve been doping yourself up to your eyeballs so you wouldn’t have a heat.”

“Yeah, your assumption would be correct.”

“I’m also going to assume that since you’ve been doping yourself up with tea since you presented that you didn’t know you need to let yourself have a heat every other year. Otherwise your hormones will get fucked and then you’ll want to get fucked no matter what, and you’ll wind up in the hospital again. It can cause all kinds of problems, infertility for one and the longer you go without your heat, the higher chances you have of not being able to conceive.” Steve sniffed the air right next to Bucky and Bucky pretended not to see his pupils dilate slightly as he took in his scent. “You can get infections, which thankfully you haven’t got. Your glands can get infected or blocked up.”

“You don’t have to give me the whole spiel.”

“It’s not a spiel. It really can cause serious health issues. And if you want my professional opinion you need to let yourself have a heat this year too.”

Bucky shook his head. He was not going to go through that shit again. No way in hell. “Nope. I don’t want pups.”

“It’s not just about getting pups.”

“That’s exactly what a heat is for and even if I wanted them I’m not mated. The only Alpha I’m ever around is Natasha and she’s my best friend and is mated to a lovely walking disaster named Clint.”

“You know the Romanoffs? Wait, you’re Natasha’s friend she’s always talking about. James?”

“Bucky. She talks about me?”

“All the time. She worries for you.”

He growled in annoyance at his friend and hoped the blond didn’t think he was growling at him. The growls he wanted to make at Steve were much sexier. “I am perfectly fine on my own. I don't need a damn Alpha. Want one. Don't need one though.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I mean...I don't want some asshole that's just gonna try to tell me what I can and cannot do. I want a guy that's gonna let me do my own thing while he does his and that's not gonna try to control my life just because I'd be his Omega.”

“Sounds like my kind of Omega.” Steve's eyes widened after he said it, he probably hadn't meant to say it out loud, and Bucky blinked. “I'm sorry. That was so unprofessional of me.”

“It's okay.” Just because that might be Steve's type of Omega didn't mean Bucky was his type. He fought to keep a pout off his face when he thought that. Steve probably had willing Omegas throwing themselves at his gorgeous fucking feet, because let's face it, they were probably gorgeous too, and Bucky wouldn't add up to any of them. He wouldn't be Steve's Omega.

“So, uh...can you mix me up some tea or no? Nat said you could help.”

“I'll make it for you if you really want it, but I strongly suggest that you have a heat this year. What happened last year will only get worse as time goes on. This year will be hard, but not as bad as last year.”

“Dude, I spent a few days sedated in the hospital last year, I don't want to go through that again. I hate heats. I hate that I'm out of control during them. I hate feeling like I'll die if I don't get a knot. I hate being alone.” Being alone was just about the worst of it. He was terrified of being alone during his heat. Had hated every moment of it, but couldn't bring himself to use the Omega services and get an Alpha he didn't even know to knot him.

Steve gave him a small reassuring smile. “I know, Bucky. Clint was miserable before he and Natasha mated. He wouldn't use the services either.”

“I don't want just any knot. No matter what my biology thinks.”

“You never asked Natasha?”

Bucky couldn't help the look of disgust. “Ew. No. She's like my sister.”

Steve laughed. “Okay, just asking. Look come to the back with me and you can think about what I've told you while I mix up a few things.”

“Yeah, okay.”

He followed Steve through the beaded curtain and into a small brightly lit room filled with tables and even more shelves of jarred herbs, powders, and crystals. What Bucky was certain was a giant antique mahogany table was in the center of the room with two rolling chairs next to it. Steve waved him toward one and he took it, spinning around in it twice for fun, then once more a lot slower so he could watch the blond work.

Where Steve had seemed awkward out in the front of the shop, probably because Bucky apparently had no filter where perfect Alphas were concerned, here he was in his element. He moved around the room, graceful as a dancer, grabbing various jars, pots, and tools from the shelves. Side-stepping around potted plants on the floor, spinning around a clutter of broken terracotta pots in one spot, and finally turned back to the desk with his arms full. Bucky stood to help him, but stopped at the shake of Steve's head. “I'm good. Thanks. You're supposed to be thinking.”

“Ugh, don't remind me.”

“But then I wouldn't be doing my job.” He only laughed when Bucky sneered at him with a quiet growl. A growl that Bucky had been told was terrifying. Apparently he'd been lied to all his life if Steve didn't feel threatened at all. Either that or Steve was just weird. Probably he was just weird. It would even out the Captain America levels of hotness and goodness radiating out from him, make him a little more human. Well, wolfy. Although Captain America was a werewolf, too.

Bucky had seen the Alpha shift before, big and blond and gorgeous. Bucky had whimpered and then because his life sucked he had started his heat right after. Bucky may have contemplated hunting Captain America down and beating his ass for that, but then he figured he wouldn't do much more than scent him and invite him back to his den, so yeah. And then he'd wound up in the hospital because his tea hadn't worked. So he blamed his shitty tea and shitty heat on Captain America.

“You're still not thinking about things.”

Bucky frowned at Steve who was now measuring out tiny spoons of dried herbs into a mortar and pestle. “How do you know?”

“You smell irritated.”

“That's a common occurrence, pal. I've been told I can sometimes be exceptionally grumpy.” 

Steve laughed again then shook his head. “This is serious. This is also one of those situations where the benefits outweigh the risks, in case you were wondering.”

Of course it was. On one hand, so what if he got where he couldn't have pups? He wasn't even sure he wanted them. On the other what if he finally met his perfect Alpha and they decided to have a litter or two? What if he wanted to give his Alpha all the pups ever? It probably wouldn't be any time soon, but still. Pups. 

Ugh. He was two weeks away from his heat and already his brain was turned to mush. Gross. He shoulda just got his tea from his regular guy and doubled up on it instead of coming here like Natasha had told him to. Hot and Blond had him thinking about pups after like thirty minutes. And then because his hormone addled brain hated him, he thought about giving Steve his pups. And now he had to think of something else because he was nowhere near the right league to be Steve's Omega.

The Sidhe that he'd seen on the way in seemed like a safe enough topic.

“Can I ask about the Sidhe that were in here earlier?” When Steve only hummed softly Bucky figured it was okay to ask. “Do you deal with the Fair Folk a lot?”

“Mostly just the twins. They’re old family friends.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmm. I’ve known them my entire life. They taught my ma before she came to the States and she and they taught me. Wanted us to know the old ways. My ma was a nurse and one of them had gotten hurt, something they couldn’t heal...I don’t know. Anyway Ma patched ‘em up and they hung around.”

“That’s neat.”

Steve laughed as he added a pinch of Brewer’s Yeast to the mortar and started grinding the herbs down into a powder with the pestle. “Yeah, pretty neat.”

“Can you tell me why they kissed my forehead before they left?”

All movement stopped, Bucky felt like even the clock was afraid to tick another second forward, and Steve slowly lifted his head to look up at him. “Did they say anything?”

“Nope. Just smiled and kissed my forehead then walked out the door.”

“Did you say anything to them?”

“No. The door swung open before I could touch the knob and they were standing there smiling at me. I bowed ‘cause I didn’t know what to do and they kissed my forehead and left. What does that mean?”

“I don’t know about all the Fair Folk, but from the twins it’s a blessing.”

“A blessing for what?”

The smile Steve gave him was strained; he obviously didn’t want to tell Bucky and only murmured, “just a blessing.” before grinding his herbs again.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Not much does, these days.”

How unhelpful was that? Jeez. Bucky narrowed his eyes at the blond, carefully scenting him for a lie and only found a hint of mourning and sadness. He wanted to comfort the Alpha, wrap him in his arms and hold him close until the sour scent faded, but instead just patted his shoulder and watched him grind the dried herbs and yeast into a powder.

“What's this one for?” Bucky poked at the jar of Brewer's Yeast and Steve dropped the pestle and pulled it away from him.

“You don't need it.” He sat it and the Penny Royal aside, next to another jar that said Black Cohosh. “Someone is going to come in later. In a panic. They're scared. Pregnant, but they don't want to be.”

“Oh. So these…”

“Yeah.”

“Are you psychic?”

“No. The twins told me. I'm not to ask questions or even say a word to whoever comes in. I'm to sit the jar on the counter with the proper instructions and leave them be.”

“But why?”

Steve shrugged. “They have their reasons. Besides when the twins tell me to do something I do it. Learned that the hard way.”

“They bespell you?”

“I was a dog for two weeks,” he said, practically spitting out the words. Yeah, Bucky didn't like dogs either. Too many territorial disputes. “Life’s not so fun when you're a fucking poodle instead of a wolf.”

Bucky giggled like a nerd, he couldn't help it, and Steve gave him a shy smile. “I'm sorry, but that’s awesome. Can you imagine this giant fucking poodle about to tear your face off?”

Steve only blinked at him for a long moment then shuddered. “That's terrifying.”

“I know, right? You were super badass and didn't even know it!”

“I guess so, yeah.”

Bucky's mobile rang, the sounds of Metallica jerking him out of the weird kind of peace he'd found with Steve, and he frowned as he pulled it out of his pocket. Natasha. Probably calling to see if he'd gotten his tea yet.

“What, hussy?” Steve snorted and Bucky winked at him.

“Rude.”

“What's up?”

“Just checking on you. Did you go see Steve?”

“Yes, I came to see the freakishly hot herbalist about my tea,” he said as he spun in his chair. “Thank you for the fucking warning, by the way. I nearly swallowed my damn tongue and not only that, I managed to mentally jump his bones with a telepath in the building. And I said it all out loud, too. So there ya go.”

She cackled like a lunatic and he scowled at the sound of choking. Who the hell was choking?

“Are you still in the shop?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Is Steve still in the room with you?”

“Wouldn't matter anyways. His hearing is as good as ours. Probably better because he's like perfect.”

“Yes, it is.” Bucky blinked, spun his chair back around, and saw Steve blushing down at the table.

“Oh.”

Natasha continued cackling until he hung up on her in irritation.

“So uh...that happened.”

“It did.” Steve grinned, blush still present, then chuckled quietly. “Hey, I know right now is probably not the best time, but do you think...I mean, would you want to.”

“Want to what, Steve?”

“Have dinner with me tonight?” Steve gave him an awkward smile, oh no he didn't know how hot he was, and Bucky grinned. The hottest Alpha he'd ever seen just asked his ass out. He hated to turn him down, but he wasn't going to date until after his heat.

“I would. I really would. But not this close. I uh...I get PMS.” He hated admitting it. It made him feel grumpy just thinking about it, but fuck it. He'd been talking to Steve about his heat already.

“Is that the only reason?”

“Yeah.” Kind of. Mostly. Not really, but whatever.

Steve grinned, his eyes lighting up like crazy and Bucky gave him a confused smile in return. Steve then jumped up and ran out into the shop and then came back with a jar of leaves with a tag hanging off of it by a piece of twine.

“This is yours.”

“What?” He took the jar and read the little parchment paper tag. _For Pre-moon Syndrome Relief._ “People make this?”

“Not people. Just me. Try it out and let me know how it works.”

“Um...how much is it?”

“Free. You're doing me a favor. Testing merchandise.”

“I can't take this.”

“Please. You don't have to consider it a bribe for a date or anything. Honestly, I'm not sure if it'll even work. It's new.”

“What's in it?”

“A little of this and a little of that. A pinch of Wolfsbane.”

Bucky sat the jar on the table carefully and pushed himself away from the table. “Are you fuckin’ nuts? That shit kills wolves, Steve.”

“Not in this small an amount. In small enough amounts it has anesthetic properties.”

“How do you know you got the dose right?”

“The twins told me how much to use.”

“Oh.”

“So you want to try it out? Make some notes for me?”

Steve looked so damned earnest that Bucky couldn't tell him no. “Sure.”

When he left Steve's shop he only left with the jar of PMS relieving tea and a smile on his face. He pretended the thought of having a heat this year was only for his health and not because he was tempted to ask Steve to share it with him even though he'd just met him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **DISCLAIMER: As Steve is a healer/herbalist on top of being Captain America,* and honestly I think he'd be pro-choice, there is an instance in this first chapter where he mixes some herbs and such together that will cause an abortion/miscarriage for a client in his shop. The herbs I list _will_ actually cause one to have a miscarriage. I am not a doctor nor an herbalist, the most I use is lavender in coconut oil for light wounds, and I do not recommend trying any of the herbs listed in this chapter without knowing what the hell you're doing.**


	2. Chapter 2

Steve collapsed against his work table as soon as Bucky was out the door of the shop and groaned. Damn Natasha sending him an Omega he couldn't have. He'd been stupid enough to ask him out anyway, but he couldn't actually date him. Not now. Especially since Bucky hadn't a clue who he really was.

He had nearly lost it laughing when Bucky had murmured ‘Captain America, who?’after seeing him. Unlike Sam he had managed not to and though he blushed he had thought it was funny.

Natasha had been right about Bucky, though. He was a perfect mixture of grumpy and shy and funny and serious. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue he rarely saw and his lips were fucking perfect. He adored the way they curled up at the corners when he grinned. The way his eyes crinkled and sparkled. The way he spoke without a filter and got embarrassed afterward.

And what the hell was up with the twins giving Bucky their blessing? Was it for him and Steve? If so, what did they know that he didn't? Was it just because they had found him endearing? Or had they sensed something in him? Either way, Steve had some questions for them the next time he saw them.

He called Natasha when he finally brought himself to leave his work table and frowned when she answered with a laugh.

“Why didn't you warn me?”

“I didn't think I needed to. He just wants some tea.”

“He didn't take any. I told him the risks of not going into heat more often. I gave him a jar of PMS tea I've been working on with the twins.”

“The whole world will love you even more if it works.”

“You know that's not why I do this.” Most people didn’t realize who he was when he wasn’t in the uniform anyway. He’d never been more thankful than when he figured that out. He half suspected the twins had something to do with it. He also thought it might not have completely been the serum that let him survive in the ice for so long before he was found.

“I also know what a bleeding heart you are. Especially for Omegas in need.”

“I'd be an asshole if I wasn't.” 

“Did you ask James out?”

“Yeah, he said not until after his heat.” He wanted to ask Natasha about the blessing from the twins. Wanted to know what she thought of it, but he knew how she operated and she would get her teeth into some idea and not let go. That and it felt like he should keep it between Bucky and himself. Some little private thing just for them. Maybe especially since he didn't know what the twins had meant.

“Want me to talk to him?”

“No. I’m a big boy, Natasha. He said after and that’s it.” She made a quiet humming sound, one that let him know she wasn’t going to give up on setting him up with someone, Bucky most likely, and he sighed. “Promise me you’ll leave it alone.”

“Okay. Chill, Grandpa. I wouldn’t want you to get upset and have a coronary.”

“You’ve been mated to Clint too long, you’re picking up his habits.”

“It could be worse. Oh, speaking of worse, we’ve got a call. You coming in?”

“Is it necessary?”

“No. Just fun.”

“I can’t. The twins said I had to be here today.”

“Steve-”

“You remember the poodle incident,” he said to cut off whatever she was going to say. He knew she was leery of him being close to any of the Sidhe.

She started giggling and was still laughing thirty seconds later when he hung up on her with a roll of his eyes. She found it amusing now, but hadn’t at the time when his stupid poodle self had tried to fight her and Clint. He had never been more ashamed. And it wasn’t even really that he’d tried to fight them. It was because he’d been a fucking poodle when he had done it. He still didn’t understand why dogs thought they could take a werewolf. Especially the little ones. Those tiny rat dogs everyone had now. Chihuahuas and Yorkies and those ones that looked like the Ewoks from  _ Return of the Jedi _ . About the only dogs he didn’t have a problem with were Huskies and he figured it was because they were descended from true wolves so maybe they had some kind of common ancestor. Though maybe it was just small creatures in general? He’d been a feisty little shit before the serum, thought he could take on bigger werewolves and his mother dreaded letting him run on the full moon. He always figured she was afraid one of the bigger ones would eat him if he annoyed them enough.

A delicate chime let him know someone had come in and he grabbed the jar of herbs he had mixed for his mysterious visitor the twins had told him about. He had tied the label, instructions, and measuring spoon to the glass jar with a length of twine. He saw one of the Fair Folk, she looked young and terrified even though she could easily be his chronological age or older, and she blanched when she saw him. He gave her a reassuring smile and moved to the glass case that served as a counter where he kept his antique register. She followed after him, keeping a close eye on him, and he sat the jar on the counter then stepped back with another reassuring smile.

She glanced at the jar quickly, long enough to read the label, then quickly grabbed it and tucked it away in the folds of her robe. She held a hand out to him, wiggling her fingers impatiently when he hesitated, and he reached out to let her grasp his hand. Gold light flared between their hands and he felt a sharp bite of pain before she released his hand and ran from the shop. When he looked back to his hand to see what she had done, he groaned. He would never understand the Sidhe. In his palm sat a tiny blood-red rose with a stem covered in thorns. When it fully bloomed he would find something he desperately needed, even if he hadn’t known he needed it. It could be a person or a thing, but either way it would show up eventually. He was just annoyed that he’d have the tiny rose attached to his hand until after he found whatever it was. At least in the next day or so it would meld into his skin like a tattoo so he wouldn't be in danger of yanking a chunk of his hand off.

He sighed, deciding to take the rest of the day off, then walked over to the door to lock it. He'd go home and wait for the rose to settle into his skin. He couldn't do much with it on his palm right now anyway. 

He wished he had a way to call the twins that didn't involve him trekking into the most remote area of Central Park and just waiting for them to show up after murmuring their names into the wind. Last time it had taken six hours for them to show up. He wanted to know what they thought of the rose. What they had meant by blessing Bucky. 

Some days he hated that magic was so commonplace nowadays. When he was a child it was something spoken of only in whispers even though the Fae and other creatures were just as common even then. But now it's everywhere. It's not so bad, really. Everyone just wants to live their own lives and be happy. It's just a pain in the ass because he seems like a magnet for being gifted something by the Fair Folk, which isn't something one should take lightly. He doesn't take it lightly and he doesn't really hate it. It was just annoying sometimes.

He eyed the rose on his palm warily then shook his head and left the shop through the back. He skimmed his fingers over the spell that had been etched into the hardwood to activate it and smiled when he saw the faint golden shimmer that covered his little space. Now no one would even register that the shop was there until he was ready to go back and deactivated it or if there was an emergency. If someone was in need enough they would find his shop and he would get a notification on his cell letting him know he was needed. Something Tony had rigged up for him after realizing that Steve would never leave this part of himself behind. Captain America or not, he would always be a healer. Even if he had never been able to heal himself. That was the price he had paid though, to learn to heal and mix herbs. To never be able to take any for himself. He had suffered until Erskine had found him, but the tradeoff was worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the love y'all have shown for this so far!!! <3 
> 
> I'll reply to comments here in a bit! love ya!

Bucky stared at the glass jar of herbs that Steve had given him. He wasn’t going to take it. He didn’t think. Yeah, if it worked it would be worth it, but he didn’t want to drink anything that had wolfsbane in it. No matter how small the amount. He’d heard too many horror stories about it as a child and even as an adult. How the hell had Steve handled the stuff anyway? With a mask and gloves? He didn’t know Steve from Adam, but Natasha had trusted him enough to send Bucky to him. The chances that Steve would fuck up royally were slim, but even so, Bucky was wary.

He’d gone in for his damn heat suppressant tea and walked out with PMS relieving instead. Stupid Steve. Stupid Bucky for letting the hot Alpha talk him out of the tea he’d gone in there for. Stupid Natasha for sending him in the first place. She had to have known how gorgeous Steve was and how likely Bucky was to lust after him and get all gooey with it. She had to have known just how susceptible Bucky would’ve been to his Alpha-ness. 

Now that he was away from the Alpha, and not lusting after him, he could think clearly again and he wanted his fucking tea. He didn’t want to go through another heat. No matter what Steve had said about his health. He was going to go his ass back to the shop and tell Steve he wanted his tea and he was not going to go all wanty and pant after him again. He’d go get his tea in the morning and then go home and never have to see the super hot Alpha again. He could do it. It’d be fine. Totally fine.

***

Oh, this was not fine. This was so totally not fine. He whined as he stared at the space where Steve’s shop should have been. He knew he was in the right spot, but the only thing he saw was a disgusting alley littered with trash. The fuck?

He pulled out his cell and called Natasha to ask her what the hell.

“You have two minutes. We got a call.”

“I came to get my tea and Steve's shop is literally not here. It's just a nasty fucking alley.”

“Shit. Ok. I'll call him. See if he can come in.”

“That doesn't explain why it's not here. And don't. If it's his day off or something I can wait.”

“It's a glamour to hide the shop when he's not in. Keeps it from getting broken into since about half of what he carries can kill you if you don't know what you're doing.”

“Oh.”

“I'll see you when we get back.”

Bucky sighed when Natasha hung up then shoved his phone into his pocket. Was he supposed to wait here? Go get a coffee? Hang around like a creeper? Why couldn't Steve be here, damn it? He sighed again then turned to go home. He had told Natasha not to call Steve after all. He'd get his tea later.

***

Bucky groaned when he woke, already dreading opening his eyes. He had a headache coming on and his stomach felt queasy and he knew he was bloated and his mood was shit. His bones ached with the need to shift. Fucking perfect. Stupid PMS bullshit. Maybe he would try the tea after all. What was a little wolfsbane compared to headaches and cramps and bloating?

"Come on. Get up, Barnes." He whimpered then cracked his eyes open and sat up. Stupid Past Him fallling asleep on the Couch of Infernal Torture didn't help matters either. Past Him was a dumb Omega. Present Him was hating Past Him with a passion right now.

He heaved a sigh then pushed himself up to sitting and grabbed the jar of herb tea off the coffee table. He stood and hobbled his way into the kitchen, almost tripping over his own feet and sat the jar next to the stack of muslin tea bags his mother had made him. Next he filled the electric kettle and switched it on and then carefully measured his tea into one of the bags. When the water boiled he flicked the kettle off and poured some into his Captain America coffee mug and dropped in the tea bag.

When it had steeped the proper amount of time he tossed the tea bag in the sink and steadied himself. It most likely wouldn't kill him. At most it would probably make him relax. Hopefully it would do away with the constant buzz of irritation, the queasiness, and the bloating. He took a small sip, grimacing at the taste, then waited a few seconds to make sure he wasn't going to die. When he didn't, he sighed in relief then carried the tea with him to his bathroom.

He drank his tea while standing in a hot shower and felt better after. He hadn’t been sure if it had been the tea or the shower until his mother called to ask him if he'd met 'a nice young Alpha' yet because his 'heat was coming up' and that constant buzz of irritation was gone. Holy shit! He had stuttered through a reply, 'no I haven't met anyone' and begged off of the phone under the guise of having to work. In reality he wanted to run to Steve's shop and tell him he was a miracle worker. 

He wished the shop had a damn phone he could call though. He had gone three days in a row to get the tea for his heat and Steve still hadn't been there. He must have had some kind of emergency or something. Maybe he was only there on certain days?

He would try again today and if Steve wasn't in he would go back to his usual guy, double up on his tea, and hope for the best. And at some point in the future if he happened to be walking by Steve's shop and Steve was actually there, Bucky would let him know that the PMS tea worked and to start making it in bulk because there were a lot of wolves that needed it.

***

Bucky turned the corner, coffee cup in hand, and tucked a lock of hair back behind the pointed tip of one ear with his free hand. He was pretending that he hadn’t left it down on purpose. He had gotten dressed, not at all hoping to impress the gorgeous Alpha, and left his apartment before he could change his mind over his tea again. Whether he got it or not, and really he wanted it, but _Steve_ , he still had to let him know that the PMS tea worked.

He expected to find the grubby alley when he got to the right spot and his heart raced when he saw the shop with its gold lettering on the door. He took a sip of his coffee that maybe had a tiny dash of courage that had been brewed into it by the barista. He loved witch brewed coffee. It always tasted better for some reason. Well, that and the spells you could get brewed into them. Bucky knew not to use them exclusively though. He had seen what could happen if you got too many spells. Your luck turned bad, courage turned to cowardice, happiness turned to deep depression. It wasn’t all fun and games.

He straightened his shirt, a black and mostly sheer button up that maybe didn’t leave much to the imagination, then opened the door and stepped inside. He wasn’t showing off for Steve. It was hot outside and the sheer fabric was breezy and cool against his skin. His jeans being skin-tight was just because all he owned were skinny jeans. And just because they hugged his thighs and ass and maybe even his junk, didn’t mean he’d worn them specifically for the Alpha of his dreams.

The subtle lemongrass and verbena scent hit him first and when he took a deeper inhale he caught Steve’s scent lingering around the shop, not hidden by other scents this time. Had he cleansed the shop? Lots of wolf-run shops were cleansed weekly to keep the scents of so many creatures from building up. Bucky knew first hand that too many scents caused one hell of a migraine.

He looked around with the hope that no one else was there besides Steve. One person seeing him make an ass out of himself (again) was plenty. So far as he could tell, Steve was the only other being in the shop. Otherwise, Bucky thought, Handsome Black Dude would’ve already been giggling at Bucky’s refusal to admit he was dressed to impress. Because he wasn’t. He dressed like this all the time. Mostly. Sometimes. Whatever. The point was, he had not dressed up for Steve. He had dressed up for himself and Steve getting to see him in all his sexy glory was just a bonus. Maybe Steve would be too distracted by the glimpses of his muscles through his shirt that he wouldn’t try to talk Bucky out of his tea this time. Or maybe he’d order Bucky to present and rail him into the next week when he did. Gods, Bucky wanted the Alpha bad. 

He whimpered, shifted from foot to foot, at the thought. He had to get his head on straight. He couldn’t come into the shop and immediately want to drop down and present, damn it! He figured it was partially his hormones’ fault since his heat was coming up. The moon too, doing its part to bring his blood up. He was not going to let his hormones or the moon control him. Not with it still being little more than a week until everything hit him full force. After that, he didn’t care what happened, so long as he was clear headed about Steve in the meantime. All he was going to do was get his tea and go home and then after everything passed, then and only then, would he talk to Steve about the date he’d asked him on.

“Bucky? Are you okay?” He heard Steve puttering around the back and seconds later the blond parted the beaded curtain and rushed toward him. “I heard you whimper. Are you hurt? What’s wrong?”

“Um…” The only thing hurt was his dignity because he knew damn well that Steve would smell his arousal and irritation. He blushed when Steve leaned into him, scenting the air around him.

“Oh.” Steve’s voice had gone from panicked to a breathy whisper and Bucky whimpered again when Steve pulled back, eyes gone dark, skin flushed all the way up to the tips of his ears and down his neck. This was not good. This was so not good. “Buck?” There was that breathy voice again, ghosting over his ear and making his skin tingle, along with the scent of Steve’s own arousal filling the air around them. He smelled so fucking good. Sweet smoke and caramel and bitter chocolate. Heavy, but not cloying. “May I?” Yes. It didn’t matter what Steve wanted to do to him; the answer was yes. He nodded and grasped Steve’s shoulder with the hand not still holding his coffee.

Steve closed those scant inches between them and gave him a gentle kiss, lips barely skimming over his before brushing feather-light over his cheek and up to his ear. Bucky didn’t at all collapse against Steve when those perfect lips closed over the pointed tip and sucked gently while flicking his tongue over it. He also didn’t whimper again or squirm when lips changed to teeth and nipped at him. Was it supposed to feel like that? Like the tips of his ears had a direct line to his dick? Steve nipped at him again and he shuddered, his grip on his coffee cup tightening until the now lukewarm liquid splashed out and covered both of them.

“Fuck, I’m sorry!” Bucky jerked away from Steve and brushed at the blond’s ruined shirt. He winced as he shifted, his coffee was not the only thing ruining clothes right now, and felt how slick he was just from Steve kissing on him a little bit. Fuck. Stuid hormones. Stupid him. Stupid Steve. “Fuck!”

“It’s okay, Buck. It’s just coffee.”

“Not that. I mean...not only that. I uh...I gotta go home.” So much for his splash of courage from his coffee. “The PMS tea works great though! Make it in bulk and advertise the shit out of it.” He turned to leave only to be pulled back by a gentle tug on his arm.

“Let me walk you home. It ain’t safe for you to walk home like this. Not alone.”

Bucky fought not to bristle because he knew Steve was too polite to say he couldn’t take care of himself. “I can take care of myself, Steve.” Or not. Not when his words came out as a frustrated growl anyway.

“I know you can," he murmured and it didn't sound condescending at all. Like he knew Bucky could take care of himself. "It’ll make me feel better about getting you like this though. I...you smell like horny Omega and you know how some Alphas get. That and this was unprofessional of me. Shouldn’t be doin’ this in the store.”

“Not because I’m a customer?”

“Not just.”

***

I really like you, Buck. The words were on the tip of his tongue but he knew he needed to take a step back from that right now. Now that they were both riled up and couldn't do a damn thing about it. He hadn't meant to basically attack Bucky like that, but the minute he had smelled his arousal all higher brain function had stopped. At least he had managed to ask permission before mauling him. Not that he'd mauled him. It was a...gentle mauling. A few kisses. Maybe a little tongue and a couple teeth. Fuck! He was so fucked.

He couldn't do this to Bucky. Not when Bucky didn't know what he'd be getting himself into. Steve knew for a fact that Bucky had no clue who he really was. He liked it that way right now, but he knew that if anything were to happen between them, anything more than a gentle mauling, he would have to tell Bucky who he was. He didn't want to deal with the fallout from that. He already knew though, that Bucky was interested in him just as Steve the herbalist. Captain America wasn't hanging over their heads and it was a nice reprieve from all of the bullshit that went with it. But, for right now, he needed to concentrate on getting Bucky home.

"May I please walk you home?" He'd beg if he had to. He couldn't let Bucky go alone. It wasn't just Alpha posturing either. Making sure his Omega was protected. Not that Bucky was his Omega. Bucky was his own Omega. Steve just wanted to make sure Bucky got home safe since he was ninety percent certain he was the cause of Bucky’s current condition. Or at least...well, fuck. Bucky was close to his heat and the full moon. Everyone’s blood was up a little bit, but Bucky had to have it worse. Fuck. He’d just taken advantage of him. Now he felt like a complete fucking tool. “I...took advantage of you. You’re not thinking straight what with the moon and your heat and I am so sorry.” He bared his throat, every instinct he had tearing at him for doing it, but he wanted Bucky to be comfortable around him. At least as much as possible considering the circumstances. If he let the Omega nip his throat even it would help. Not that Bucky would want to probably. Maybe he should ask?

“Don’t tell me what I’m thinking,” Bucky growled. The sound Steve had thought was adorable the last time Bucky was in the shop now sounded terrifying. “Don’t tell me that I’m not capable of thinking straight! I know my own fuckin’ limits, Steve.”

“Yeah, but I...you…”

“If I didn’t want you to kiss on me a little I woulda said no.”

Steve lowered his chin at the lack of faith in Bucky’s voice and knew he’d been right. Pointing it out, however, seemed to make Bucky think he was weak. The Omega was anything but. Not from the stories Natasha had told him.

“I would’ve. I...need to go home. If you’re done being a dick, you can walk me home. So long as you don’t touch me again.”

Steve nodded, trying to hide his pout. He knew he’d fucked up. Now he’d probably lost any chance he had to get to know Bucky better. To have their date. And, not that he was already planning their future because that would be weird, to share in Bucky’s heat. To bond. To have a litter of pups one day. To be a family.

“If you touch me I’m not gonna make it home without tackling you and riding you right there on the sidewalk in front of the whole damn city.”

Steve choked on his own spit. Oh. _Oh._ That was why Bucky said no touching. Not because Steve had royally fucked up, even though he had, but because Bucky was swimming in the deep end of an olympic sized pool filled with hormone soup. 

“Okay. I promise. Thank you, Buck. Oh! Wait here a second.” Steve rushed into the back and unlocked a small wooden jewelry box that was kept hidden by another glamour and pulled out a necklace with a leather string and a small quartz hanging from it. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do until he got Bucky home safe. He carried the necklace out into the shop then held it out to Bucky. “It’ll glamour you until you get home. Not your scent, unfortunately.” The scent that would forever be seared into Steve’s brain. Burned sugar and cinnamon. Cloves and ginger. Bucky was the best thing Steve had ever smelled. “But it’ll cover up your clothes so you’re not um…”

“So I’m not showing the entire planet how wet you make me? Yeah. Thanks.” Bucky sounded a bit grumpy and Steve choked again. Gods above, he was going to die before Bucky got home, much less out of the shop. Bucky took the necklace and slipped it over his head then looked down at his shirt and jeans with a slight frown. He then looked over his shoulder, trying to get a peek at his own ass, Steve figured, and growled. “I can still see it.”

“Because you know it’s there. I can still see the coffee stains because I know they’re there. No one else does and no one else will see. I promise.”

Bucky nodded and Steve went to lock the front door then led Bucky through the back. He showed him where the spell was to hide the shop and watched Bucky's eyes widen when it activated. It was pretty neat.

He walked Bucky home, making sure to keep his distance lest they accidentally brush up against one another, but not so far that it looked like they weren’t walking together. There may have been some possessive growling at other Alphas that had honed in on Bucky's scent, arousal and frustration, but he hadn't seemed to mind. Bucky's knees had even buckled a couple times and Steve puffed up with pride even though his damn brain knew it was hormonal and not because Bucky wanted him. Or not only because of that.

He learned that Bucky was a translator and worked from home so he made his own hours. He had known Natasha for years, longer than Steve had, and had met Clint through her. Now they were his best, though meddlesome, friends. Bucky regaled Steve with the amount of failed dates the two had gotten him. Including one with Rumlow apparently before the shit had hit the fan and they had found out he'd been Hydra. Steve hadn't been able to help the vicious growl at that, fangs bared and snarling. Bucky had given him a strange look out of the corner of his eye, but hadn't commented on it and let Steve seeth over it in quiet rage. He knew it wasn't Natasha's fault, none of them had known, but it still rankled him to know that Rumlow had almost gotten his greasy, traitorous, fucking paws on Bucky. At least Steve wouldn't have to worry about that anymore now that they had dropped a building on Rumlow.

He had managed to calm himself around the time they got to Bucky's building and he walked him to the door even though Bucky promised he could make it inside on his own. He had insisted and Bucky gave him a small smile and roll of his eyes then led him inside.

The building was old, Steve remembered it from his youth, but had been updated. It looked to have been completely remodeled. There were air purifiers every few feet and even his enhanced sense of smell couldn't detect anyone else's scents. He probably wouldn't have been able to even without Bucky's burned into his nose.

Small brightly lit hanging lamps gave a golden glow that seemed to reflect off of Bucky's skin and hair making Steve want to bury his hands in his hair. Chase the light on his skin with his tongue. He kept a respectful distance though. Even if it almost physically pained him to do so.

He was so busy staring at Bucky that he didn't realize he had come to a stop until he crashed into him with a yelp.

"Sorry! I'm sorry. I was…you were…beautiful."

Bucky blushed and tucked a lock of hair back behind his ear. "Thank you for walking me home."

"Thank you for letting me."

Bucky grinned at him then took the necklace off and held it out to him. "Guess you should have this back."

"Yeah." He took it back even though he wanted to tell Bucky to keep it. Some weird version of a human's promise ring. What Steve really wanted to do was spread his scent all over Bucky, mark him so everyone would know Bucky was his, but even Steve's lust addled brain knew that it was inappropriate right now. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah." Bucky smiled at him again then turned to unlock his door. Steve backed away as he opened it, Bucky's scent flooding the corridor, and yipped in surprise when Bucky spun back around and pecked his cheek then rushed into the apartment and closed the door.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there like a moron with his hand on his cheek before gathering his wits but he eventually made his way back to the shop. He still had a few orders to fill before closing up for the day.

It wasn't until he got home that he realized the rose in his palm was almost already in full bloom. Well, shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four is coming up immediately after this one. Chapters five, six, and seven will be up later today!


	4. Chapter 4

Bucky waited until he was sure Steve was gone before giggling and sliding down his door like a lovesick child. Yeah, okay, getting turned on like he had in the shop had not been planned at all and made him feel so very young, but Steve hadn't exactly taken advantage like he thought. Even so Bucky hadn't minded except he had slicked up from just a few kisses, in public no less, where anyone could have seen him. He should've been mortified. Instead he was giggling like a child because Steve had been so sweet and so polite afterward. Bucky wasn't sure anyone else would have done the same as Steve. Certainly not any of the douchebags Natasha had set him up with before. 

She owed him a damned explanation as to why it had taken her this long to let him meet Steve. Why had she hidden the blond for so long? Why did she set him up with all those damn losers when she knew Steve? He was going to ask as soon as she got back from whatever super secret spy mission she was on. Before he did anything else though, he needed a shower.

It wasn't until after his shower and a glass of wine that he realized he still hadn't gotten his damned tea. He was going to go back to Steve's shop tomorrow and get his tea. Sexy Alpha and hormones or no. One way or another he would get that tea.

***

He stalked into the shop, spied Steve at the counter with the Sidhe that had kissed him on the forehead the first time he had walked into the shop, and headed over. Propriety be damned. He was going to get his tea and nothing would stop him.

"Steve! I need my fuckin' tea. You're not going to distract me with your," he waved his hand in the general vicinity of Steve's body. "everything, again. I gotta have it. I don't care what you say. I'm not going through that shit again. Don't give me those eyes. Or those stupid perfect pouty lips."

Steve only continued to stare at him with those eyes and pout at him with those lips. His hands went to his hips, emphasizing the breadth of his shoulders and chest stretching his too tight t-shirt, and his tiny waist and Bucky groaned.

"Dude, seriously. Fuckin' quit it. You ain't gonna talk me out of it again. I don't care how sweet and gorgeous you are or how good you smell." Bucky glared at him when he smiled. It was so unfair that Steve was so damn hot. Bucky's brain melted every time he saw him. Pretty much his whole body melted when he got close to him. Even in righteous indignation Bucky was little more than a puddle of goo in front of the Alpha.

"I'm not doing anything, Buck."

"Yes you are!" Did Steve not realize it?

"What am I doing?"

"Staring at me with those stupid blue eyes and your everything else."

Steve laughed then moved around the counter. "Okay, Buck. Why don't you go sit in the back and I'll be right there as soon as I'm done talking to the twins, yeah?"

Bucky glared at him again when he stopped just in front of him. He would not let Steve distract him this time. "You ain't gonna win, Steve."

"Okay." Steve sniffed the air around him delicately then sighed. "May I?"

"Just the cheek. I'm not falling for your wiles again."

"My wiles, huh?"

"Shut up." Bucky wasn't blushing. He especially wasn't blushing when Steve leaned in and kissed his cheek and he spied the twins watching them with huge grins on their faces. As soon as Steve pulled back Bucky hauled ass into the back and sat down in the spinning office chair he'd sat in last time.

He spun around until he got dizzy and almost fell off his chair then stopped and let the room spin around him. When it finally stopped he stood up and walked over to one of the walls of shelves to look over the jars. It looked like a giant spice rack. Jars of lavender, turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, ginger, basil, cloves, cayenne, cumin, rosemary, and thyme lined the shelves. Jars of other things he couldn't pronounce were with them along with the brewer's yeast and black cohosh Steve had used before. There was a jar of tiny seeds labeled belladonna and another labeled nightshade. One jar had a skull and crossbones label on it, the skull belonged to a wolf, and Bucky quickly backed away from it. He wasn't even going to breathe next to that shit. Wolfsbane was no fucking joke. Steve was for putting the stupid skull and crossbones label on it, but still. It was a good warning. 

Natasha was right about Steve having a bunch of shit that could kill you. Bucky wondered if he should've been concerned and quickly did away with the thought. Steve fucking radiated goodness. There was no way in hell he'd ever poison and kill someone. He probably wouldn't hurt a fly even though he looked like he could punch a tank. Why was that a saying anyways? Did some super hot super buff guy punch a tank once? Besides, Steve had had ample opportunity to beat rude Alphas asses when walking him home and hadn't done it. And Bucky had tried so hard to pretend that Steve's Alpha posturing wasn't hot as fuck. Usually it drove him crazy, but for some reason it only made him pant after Steve even more.

He shook his head and picked up the jar of dried lavender then opened it to inhale its scent. It would either calm him down or give him a migraine but either way he wouldn't be getting all hot and bothered in the shop again. Not with witnesses this time. For all he knew the Sidhe could smell even better than him and Steve.

He was still breathing in the lavender when Steve finally came into the room and put it away with a sheepish smile.

"So, what was all that about with the twins?"

***

Apparently you might be my soulmate and what I was looking for, even if I didn't know it. "Just asking a couple questions about some stuff. Nothin' to worry about, Buck."

"You don't look not worried."

"It's fine."

Bucky gave him a disbelieving look then sighed. "If you say so."

"I do." He tried to give Bucky a reassuring smile but didn't think he pulled it off. Either way Bucky finally shrugged.

"Will you mix me up some tea please, before I forget about it again."

"Okay, Buck."

It wasn't that he didn't want to make Bucky his tea, he really was concerned about this health, but he couldn't help but hope Bucky wouldn't take it. Just in case.

He wandered around the room as Bucky settled into what Steve thought as his chair even though he had only seen him sit in it once and gathered the various herbs he would need and a jar to put them in after he had mixed them.

"What's all that stuff?"

"Nothing that will kill you." He grinned at Bucky's frown. "It's just herbs, Bucky. It'll do what it's supposed to do. You remember what I said though, right?"

"Yup. Chance of infertility, infections, blocked up glands, yada yada. We found out that last one I don't have to worry about though."

Steve's eyes nearly crossed thinking about the sweet smell of Bucky's slick and he sighed a little bit dramatically. "Yeah, we did." His voice may or may not have sounded a little bit gravely and he saw Bucky shudder. Damn it. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I mean, if it wasn't you it wouldn't be okay, but I...I really like you. It's fuckin' stupid 'cause we don't know each other at all really, but I kinda want to jump your bones anyway. You're a really decent guy, Steve. You can't imagine the number of asshole Alphas I've had to deal with since I presented. I know Natasha sent me here for my tea and probably to try and set us up and usually they pick really shitty guys, I mean _Rumlow_? Seriously? But I think you're a good one."

Steve couldn't help the growl at the mention of Rumlow and he watched Bucky visibly melt into his chair with a sigh.

"Stop it. Hearing you growl like that makes me all wanty."

"Sorry. It's just...Rumlow."

"You knew him," Bucky said as he sat back up in his chair. "How do you know Natasha and Clint anyways? They didn't say. You work with them or something?"

Shit. "Something like that."

"Uh huh. Do you know Captain America? He's an asshole."

Steve sputtered and coughed. What? How the hell would Bucky know? Steve hadn't seen him before he had walked into the shop last week. He would've remembered seeing the gorgeous Omega before.

"Why is he an asshole?"

"I saw him once when he was shifted. He ran past me on the street one night. Most beautiful fucking wolf I've ever seen. I may or may not have started my heat early after that and I know it was his fault somehow."

"You saw him and it made your heat start?"

"Yes! And then it was the worst one ever and my tea didn't work and it sucked so bad cause I had toys but they didn't do shit. And then I hadta call an ambulance ‘cause I was hurting so bad. Cramps like you wouldn't believe."

Huh. That was...surely he hadn't accidentally caused Bucky's heat to start. It wasn't exactly common for an Omega to start their heat early just because they saw an Alpha they thought was hot. No, it usually only happened if there was something else there. Some connection to them. If they were compatible. Soulmates. The word flashed in his mind and he groaned. Maybe the twins were right. Not that they weren't usually. He just hadn't ever really believed in soulmates. He still wasn't sure, but the twins had never steered him wrong before so why would they start now?

"So anyway if you know Captain America could you punch him in the face for me and send me photographic proof? I asked Natasha and she just laughed at me. Clint said he'd do it but Natasha wouldn't let him. And then Matt laughed and said he'd do it, but Foggy told him no. And then I didn't have anyone else to ask. So I decided I'd do it myself, but I figure if I ever actually saw that asshole again I'd probably invite him home with me instead."

That was good to know and also explained why Natasha, Clint, Matt, and Foggy had all giggled like pre-schoolers every time they saw him for a while. Obviously Bucky didn't hate Cap but how would he react if Steve were to shift in front of him? Would he punch him or ask him home? Would he hate Steve for not telling him when they had already kissed on each other a little bit? Fuck.

He was going to have to tell him at some point, and he would, just not right now. Not right this minute. Soon, probably. After Bucky's heat. When the moon and his hormones weren't affecting him. That way he might not punch Steve in the face.

"We'll see about the punching," he said and sat his jars down on the table.

"Okay. I wouldn't want you to get your ass kicked though."

"It wouldn't be a problem."

"Uh huh. I've seen him fight on the t.v. before. He can totally kick your ass."

Steve hummed with a small smile and began measuring out his herbs. Bucky watched him spoon them into the mortar and then pick up the pestle to grind them.

"Have you got tea bags at home?"

"Yep."

"This is as needed, but no more than six times a day, okay? It should last a good four hours a cup, but if it doesn't I want you to call me. I'll get Clint to bring you something else if he can. If he can't I'll drop it off at your door. Moon's gonna have a lot of us gone crazy."

"I know. Thank you." 

Steve nodded, gave him another small smile, and poured the partially crushed mixture into a pint sized glass jar. He flipped up the lid and clasped it shut then handed it to Bucky. "A teaspoon to six ounces of water. Adding more won't make it work better, even though it sounds like it should."

"Okay."

"Try to think about what I said?"

"I know what you said, Steve, but I ain't gonna go to Omega Services and toys are fucking useless."

"Okay. I just…" He shook his head. "I just don't want you to get sick or worse."

Bucky reached up and grabbed Steve by the chin. "Hey, I'll be fine. Next year maybe. Okay. I just can't do another heat. I don't have anyone and I'm not going through another one alone. I want…I want an Alpha. I want to be bonded and I...maybe want to have a litter or two if it's the right guy, but not now." 

"Okay, Buck. I understand. You gotta do what's best for you."

"Okay." Bucky turned him loose then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about me, okay?"

"Okay." Steve knew he would worry anyway, no matter what Bucky said. Not only because of what he felt for him, but because he cared about everyone that came into the shop. It was what he did. Sometimes he worried too much. He couldn't help it. It was just who he was.

"I have to go home. I got some work I have to finish up. How much do I owe ya?"

"Nothing."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "You didn't let me pay last time either, Steve."

"You were being a guinea pig."

"And this time I'm not. I'm a customer, Steve. And if you give me some lowball number I'm going to times it by a hundred just to spite you."

"Twenty cents."

"Twenty bucks it is." Bucky stood and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, pulled out a twenty and Steve nearly swallowed his tongue when Bucky shoved it in his jeans pocket, hand lingering just a bit. "See you around, Stevie."

"Okay." And maybe Steve sounded a little bit wistful, but whatever. He was entitled.

"Gonna give me a kiss before I go?"

Steve shook his head. If he gave Bucky a kiss right now it would be wholly inappropriate and he'd have to walk him home again. Bucky laughed then gave him another kiss on the cheek.

"Bye, Steve."

"Bye."

He watched Bucky saunter away, hips swinging and drawing Steve's attention to his ass and then to those long perfect thighs. Bucky was testing him. He was sure of it. He didn't know what the test was exactly, so he didn't know if he was supposed to follow him or not. He stayed in the back though. Just in case. Well, at least until he heard the door open and raced back up front so he could watch Bucky leave just in case the Omega turned to see if he was watching him. It turned out to be a good idea when he saw Bucky turn and look over his shoulder with a devastating smile. He couldn't help but smile back and sighed once Bucky was gone with the door closed after him.

Gods he was in trouble.

***

“We kicked ass. Clint broke his arm though. So he's going to be out for a few weeks. Foggy said Matt broke his ribs again too so they'll have each other to whine at when we don't let them get in trouble.”

“Mmm.”

“I saw a guy with a pet cheetah. He had it on a harness walking it down the street.”

“Mmm.” Bucky knew he should've been listening, but honestly as soon as Natasha had said they were okay and had gotten back fine he had tuned her out. He was busy staring at the jar of tea he was no longer sure he wanted to drink. He had panicked the other day when he had gone back to Steve's to get it and now he was stuck with a jar of tea he wasn't sure he would drink. Yeah, he had told Steve he wanted it and he did. He thought. Mostly he wanted to ask Steve to share his heat with him, but ugh. Why was everything so hard?

“There was another guy that had a chameleon on a tiny gold chain sitting on his shoulder.”

“That's nice.”

Natasha sighed. “Okay, what's wrong?”

“I want Steve to bone me.”

“Steve Rogers?”

“Pfft. Well yeah, but no. Herbalist Steve. I finally got my tea and now I don't even know if I want to drink it. He's so fucking perfect Natasha. I don't know why you never tried to set us up before.”

“I did. Clint and I did. You said not until after your heat.”

“Oh, but still. I mean you guys set me up with douchebags before and Steve's way better than any of those assholes. What took you so long?”

“He didn't want to date.”

“Oh. And he does now. He asked me out. I told him no. Not until after. But...I really want to. And I don't know if it's my hormones or him. I mean, he was kissin’ on me a little bit the other day and he bit the tip of my ear and um...I may or may not have...uh…”

“James Buchanan Barnes, you hussy!”

He rolled his eyes at Natasha’s giggles. “Rude. It's not my fault. It was his fault! I never knew the tips of my ears were that sensitive, okay. Not like...that.” Getting his ear pinched as a reprimand was so very different than getting it sucked on and bitten. Obviously. But still. Maybe it was just Steve? ‘Cause Clint had licked his ear before and it had just been really gross.

“So, are you going to ask Steve to share your heat?”

“I want to. Don't know if I should. I mean, he's really amazing, but I just met him and I know basically nothing about him. He was being kinda sketchy the other day actually. Something about the twins and then again when I asked if he worked with you and Clint. I asked him if he knew Captain America so he could punch him in the face for me and he kinda looked like he was choking. Then he said it wouldn't be a problem and he could fight Captain America. I told him he'd get his ass kicked. Don't think he believed me.”

“Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“You remember that Clint and I are Avengers right?”

“Yeah.”

“So we know Steve Rogers.”

“Uh huh.” What even was she getting at? He knew they knew Captain America. That was why Bucky had asked them all to punch him in the face because Steve Rogers was too hot for Bucky to live. It really was unfair.

“Have you ever seen him out of his uniform?”

“Never. I only look at the pictures when he's in his uniform or when he's shifted.” Bucky was wolf enough to admit that seeing Captain America shifted worked more for him than when he looked human and wore that dorky red, white, and blue spandex thing. He did have a really nice ass in the spandex stuff though. Herbalist Steve had a nice ass too. Maybe Bucky could get him to wear one of those ones they sold for Halloween? Probably have to take the padding out though, to make room for all his muscles. So, so many muscles.

He sighed a little wistfully then shook his head. He was being stupid over Steve. Wasn't he?

"Wow. Okay. You're so oblivious sometimes. Look, maybe get online and look for pictures of him when he's not in the suit or his fur."

"Do you think I'm being stupid over him? Herbalist Steve? I mean...I want him. More than I've ever wanted anyone. And he smells so damn good. He's protective of me too. It's not a crush. I don't think. It's weird. Like...he's the only one I see when I'm in the shop and he acts like I'm the only one he sees and I...I don't know."

"What did your parents tell you about being compatible with someone? Soulmates and things?"

"Just that I'd know them when I met them. Like you did with Clint."

"You remember what I said it felt like?"

"You didn't want him out of your sight. Felt like you couldn't breathe without him. You worried about him constantly and got protective and possessive of him until you bonded with him. Which you did during his first heat you two were together."

"Uh huh."

"You think me and Herbalist Steve might be soulmates?"

"It would be a good bet especially when you hate it when Alphas only see your designation and act like you're a delicate flower, but when Steve does it makes you melt."

"Steve crushes his flowers."

"But you don't mind him being protective of you either."

"Oh. So that's...if we are then...oh. But...my heat. I don't want to drink my tea. I want Steve. But I can't this soon. Can I? I mean, it's only been a few days really."

"You can do whatever you want. What's your heart say?"

"Go ask Steve if he wants to join me at the cabin and let me have his babies. My brain is telling me I'm a dumbass because I don’t want pups right now, but I’d definitely have his if he asked me.”

"Yeah, well, sometimes our brains get in the way of shit. Go look for pictures of Steve Rogers and then go back to the shop and tell Steve you want to give him a litter."

“I’m sure there’s something he can make me that’ll keep me from getting pregnant.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is. I don’t want them right now and it’d be too soon besides. Herbalist Steve probably doesn’t want any right now either. It’s just the idea of them makes me all soft and squishy inside. Him too probably if he’s mine like you think he is.”

“Go get your Alpha, Bucky.”

“I’m gonna.” He was, too. At some point. He did have to work first. And look up pictures of Captain America when he wasn’t in his suit or fur. And then he’d go talk to Steve and figure out what they were going to do, and then if they did wind up settling on going to the cabin Bucky would have to warn his parents and sisters that they’d have to go stay with family. Bucky did not want that kind of pressure on him and Steve this soon. Maybe Steve had a place he went to run on the full moon? They could go there, but when the thought of not being some place he knew made him whine and shudder he decided warning his family off would be better. But what if Steve wanted to make him a nest full of Steve’s clothes and things? He wouldn’t be able to do that at the cabin unless he brought everything with him. Steve could probably do that. Would probably do that if Bucky asked him to. 

He was getting ahead of himself. He still had to talk to Steve first and he couldn’t do that until he finished translating the article he’d sort of been working on into Goblin. He had told his mother taking Goblin as an elective all four years of high school would pay off at some point. Mostly he’d done it because one of the kids he’d seen sign up for the class was funny and the half Goblin, half Fae teacher had been hot and blown thirteen year old Bucky’s tiny mind.

He was so lost in his own head he hadn’t realized Natasha had hung up until he realized how quiet his phone was. Oops. He sent her an apology text and received a laughing emoji in response followed by an eggplant and a peach. Ugh. She was not the one he wanted sending him eggplant emojis.

He sighed and tossed his phone to the side then turned back to his laptop. He had to get the translation done and sent in so he could get paid. But mostly he had to get it done so he could Google images of Steve Rogers and figure out whatever it was Natasha had hinted at. Like he hadn’t noticed her hints. Pfft. He’d show her oblivious. What did she know anyways? 

An hour later Buckywas glaring at his laptop while he texted Natasha furiously. Why the fuck did she not tell him that Herbalist Steve was Captain America Steve? Why the fuck didn't Steve just fess up when he asked? Was it because Bucky had said he was an asshole? Or did Steve just not want him to know just whose knot it was that he'd been panting after? Gods, maybe he was oblivious. Either way he had an Alpha to go chew out.

***

Steve had just finished restocking the sleep aids when the door flew open bringing the scent of an enraged Omega with it. An enraged Bucky, he saw, when he turned to look.

“What happened? What's wrong? Did someone try something?” He tried not to panic, but well...it was _Bucky_. Bucky marched straight to him and backed him into the shelves he had just stocked.

“Yeah. You fucking happened! I was fine on my own. I just wanted my fucking tea and to hide away from the world during the full moon. Not have to deal with any of this shit! But no. I saw you and...and feelings happened somehow!” 

Bucky was waving his arms around like a deranged penguin and Steve hid a smile because he was pretty sure Bucky wasn't even aware that he had admitted to having feelings for him and he figured Bucky might actually punch him if he saw him smile. Right now Bucky's feelings might be edged toward murder, but they were still feelings.

“And I wanted to ask you if you'd spend my heat with me at the cabin so we could run during the full moon if I felt like it.”

Did it get hot in the shop all the sudden? Bucky wanted him to be with him for his heat? When had he made that decision? Had Natasha told him to? Or had she helped him realize he wanted to?

“But then...then! Natasha called and was talking about soulmates and being compatible and how it feels like you can't breathe when they're not with you and maybe you and I were soulmates and I told her I didn't even want the damn tea! I want you and she was all like hinting and stuff and told me to Google Captain America without his suit and it was you! I fucking asked you if you worked with Natasha and Clint. I called you an asshole to your face! And you said you wouldn't get your ass kicked. Do you know how stupid this makes me feel? Gods above, Steve! Why didn't you just tell me?” Bucky had the fingers of both hands tangled in his hair, the loose waves curling about his cheekbones and even pissed off, or maybe in spite of it, he was still gorgeous. “Why are you looking at me like that!”

“Like what?” Was that his voice gone all soft and wistful like that?

Bucky growled, far more terrifying than he should've been able to, scarier than the last time Bucky had growled like that, and Steve shuddered. He wasn't scared, but really, mostly he was starting to get turned on. Who knew he had a thing for growly Omegas?

“You got this stupid look on your face. Like you wanna find a den and build me a nest to snuggle me to death in.”

“I do. Just not the death thing. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen, Buck. I didn't tell you who I was because you didn't know and I liked not having it hanging over my head for once. I shoulda said something when you asked, but I didn't want...I didn't want things to be different between us.”

“Oh.” Bucky visibly deflated and let out a heavy sigh. “I kind of get it, okay, but...is there anything else I need to know before this thing between us goes any further?”

“The twins kissed you on the forehead because they saw something in you. Something meant for me. What they said here when you came in for your tea to stop your heat was that you're my soulmate and I'm stupid for not realizing it sooner.” Steve held up the hand that the other Sidhe had placed the rose in to show Bucky his palm. “This was given to me by the pregnant Sidhe that came in the first day you were here. It's a countdown clock basically.”

“To what?”

“Finding something I need. A person or a thing. It starts out as a bud then fully blooms and eventually fades once you find it. It bloomed out like this the first time I kissed you. You're my person. If you want to be, I mean.”

Bucky glared at him then rolled his eyes. “Stupid. You're fucking stupid.”

“I am. Sometimes.” It wasn't his fault he was all turned around. Bucky turned his brain to mush.

“I was gonna ask you that already. Why the hell would I change my mind?”

“You're mad at me.”

“I'm entitled to be mad, but that doesn't mean I hate you.”

That was good to know. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Bucky hated him. Pine away for the rest of his life, maybe. Something dramatic, most likely.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you.”

“It's not okay, but I understand why.”

“Yeah?”

Bucky smiled softly and stepped further into Steve's space. Chests bumping together.

“Yeah. You're not forgiven just yet, though.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Give me your phone number so we can talk without me having to run down here every time I need to talk to you.” Bucky grinned and Steve rested his hands on Bucky's hips lightly.

“I like it when you come to see me.”

“Mmm, you just like it because you like the way I get when I'm here.”

“Grumpy and turned on at the same time?” Steve slid his thumbs under Bucky's shirt, drawing little circles on his skin. Bucky shuddered, closed what little distance there was between them until they were pressed together from chest to ankle.

“Shut up.”

“Okay.” He brushed his lips over Bucky's as he spoke and watched the way his eyes dilated. Watched the way he practically melted against him.

“You gonna kiss me or not?”

He had probably meant to sound a bit huffy, but it came out as more of a sigh. “Last time I kissed you I had to walk you home.”

“Walk me home again.”

“Nuh uh. I walk you home and we won't leave your apartment any time soon.”

Bucky whimpered, starting to squirm in his grasp. “Please. Want you to.”

“Nope. Gonna do it right, baby. Gonna wait until your heat. Go to this cabin of yours if you want or we can go to my place. Tony has a floor set up for me. All of us have one. It's like a little forest all our own.”

“It's just yours,” Bucky asked, voice gone breathy and quiet as he lifted his hands to grasp Steve's shoulders. 

“Just mine. I'm gonna make you a proper den, sugar. Build you a nest. Anything you want. Just tell me.” 

Steve could picture it now. His wolf starting to stir at the thought. The long cave with room for a nest at the end, a birthing chamber if they wanted to use it that way, dug into the soil. Technically his floor already had a den, but he would change it if Bucky wanted or they could find somewhere else. He knew they would be in their fur for part of Bucky's heat and would feel more comfortable in the small room. Maybe he could take Bucky there beforehand and let him decide what he wanted done with it. Steve wasn't sure he was strong enough not to jump Bucky the minute they went inside though. Not with the way Bucky always melted into him, smelling so sweet and willing. Gods, he wanted the Omega. Had never wanted anyone as much as he did Bucky.

“Gonna do anything you want, Buck.”

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“Please just fuckin’ kiss me already.”

“Just the one, then you gotta get home.”

Bucky whimpered again, a small distressed sound, and Steve closed those scant millimeters between them. Lips ghosting over Bucky's lightly and then pressing harder. Melding to the shape of them. The full lower lip and slightly thinner top. He loved the way Bucky's bottom lip lingered longer than the top, loved the little gasp when he licked across them. Nipped them with his fangs and slid his tongue between them. The way his mouth opened so sweetly, tasting of sugar and cinnamon. Tongue darting forward to touch his and darting away again only to come back seconds later.

Bucky whimpered again, hips rolling against his, and Steve sighed slipping his knee between those perfect thighs to give Bucky the friction he was searching for.

“Ho, boy.”

Steve snarled and spun Bucky behind him as he turned to the door of the shop. Sam stood in the doorway with his hands held up in surrender. “Easy.”

“Sam?” What the fuck? How had he come in without Steve noticing?

“You weren't answering your phone. Just came to make sure you were alright and got blasted by a wall of...well...anyway. You and your boy need to tone it down a little bit. Heard you two from a block away.”

Steve nodded and made the mistake of taking a deep breath in through his nose to calm down. He caught the burned sugar smell of Bucky's slick and growled at Sam even though he knew better. Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve's waist, holding on tightly and pressing against him as closely as he could without them being naked with a small needy whine.

“Damn it.” Sam shook his head and reached for his pocket slowly, Steve snarling at him the entire time. “Damn werewolves. Possessive assholes.” He pulled his phone out and tapped at the screen. Natasha’s voice filled the room seconds later. 

“What's wrong?”

“Steve might be a little bit feral right now.”

“I'm not fucking feral!” He wasn't. He was protecting his future mate is all.

“If you keep growling at me I'm going to have to try and kick your furry ass and I will die a terrible death. Get your shit together!”

“I'm trying.”

“Bucky is there isn't he?”

“Yep.”

“Ah. Bucky are you okay?”

He whined then cleared his throat as he shifted to rest his chin on Steve's shoulder. “Yeah.”

“Are you sure?”

“Other than having been rudely interrupted!” He growled and Steve turned his head to nuzzle him with a smile. “Fucking cockblocking telepath.”

“Already told you not yet, Omega mine. Gotta do it proper.”

“Oh. Oh! Okay, that's...okay. Didn't know you two were getting bonded. Are you okay now? Are we good? I really don't want my mama to find out I died by werewolf attack.”

“Shoulda left us alone!” Bucky snapped, swiping at Sam with his claws out even though there was no possible way he could reach him.

“Shh. Calm down, baby. We're alright.”

“I'm going to get Tony to send a car." Natasha said. “Steve, Happy will drive Bucky home. You can see him later.” That was not a completely terrible idea. The Beta would get Bucky home safe and Steve wouldn't have to worry about him trying to steal Bucky from him.

“Don't wanna go.”

“You ought to, Buck,” Steve murmured with another nuzzle. “We can go look at the den tomorrow. See if there's anything you want to change. After that it's just a few more days. I'll get everything ready.”

“Okay.” Bucky let out a needy whine and Sam rolled his eyes.

“I am going to go in the back and you two can do whatever you want until Happy gets here to take Bucky home. No kinky werewolf sex in the shop!” Sam turned and locked the door then headed to the back with a jangle of beads as he went through the curtain.

Bucky immediately slid out from behind Steve and wrapped himself around him. Steve hefted him up, wrapping Bucky's legs around his waist and nuzzled his throat to scent mark him. He figured it was okay now since they were going to be together for Bucky's heat. 

When he was satisfied that Bucky smelled enough like him to warn everyone else off, he tipped his own head back to let Bucky return the gesture.

“Steve, want you to go home with me.”

“No, baby. Not yet. You gotta go. I'm sure you have things to take care of beforehand.” He shuddered when Bucky licked a stripe up his neck. “Call your parents or something.”

“Please don't talk about them right now.”

“Sorry. You just probably shouldn't spring this on them afterward, you know?”

“Gods, Steve, shut up about them. Please.” Bucky nipped his throat and then licked him again.

"Yeah, okay." He sighed, shifting his grip to tug Bucky even closer. Bucky was rumbling happily and Steve couldn’t help his own happy rumbles. They were probably moving way too fast, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when Bucky smelled so damn content to be there with him. Maybe later he might panic or something, but right now he only cared about Bucky being happy to hold him and scent mark him.

“Are you decent? You better be decent!” Sam walked out into the shop with a hand held out in front of him to keep from running into anything and his other hand over his eyes. “Happy’s here with the car.”

“We’re decent, Sam.”

“No, we’re not,” Bucky grumbled.

“Well, we’ve got our clothes on at least.”

Bucky laughed at that and then sighed dejectedly. “Guess I better go.” He gave Steve a quick kiss then shimmied around until his feet touched the floor.

“I'll walk you out.” Bucky grinned and took his hand and Steve led him out of the shop. Happy was parked right out front, waiting beside the car. Steve said hello and then introduced Bucky, unable to help the possessive growl when Bucky shook his hand. Happy rolled his eyes and Steve sighed. 

“Sorry, Happy.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve seen worse.” Happy opened the car door for Bucky and Steve helped him into the car, then ducked inside to give him another kiss.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Sam’s faux tearful voice came from behind him and he jumped, hitting his head on the top of the car while Bucky giggled.

“You’re an asshole, Sam.”

“You deserved it for snarling at me.”

Maybe. Steve didn’t really feel bad about it just yet. He knew he would once he had a chance to calm down, but right now he didn’t care that he’d snarled at Sam like that. He grinned at Bucky then gave him one last kiss. “See you tomorrow, sugar.”

“Okay.”

Steve ducked out of the car then closed the door on Bucky’s smile so he wouldn’t be tempted to climb in with him. Sam clapped him on the shoulder as he watched the car begin to move and stood on the sidewalk with him until the car turned the corner and disappeared from his sight.

“So...when’s the bonding going to happen?”

“His heat. Probably. We didn’t actually talk about bonding.”

“You’re going to talk to him before anything happens, right?”

“Of course. Don’t worry, Sam. Everything will be fine.”

“I’ve seen your fine, Rogers.”

“Not for something like this. It’ll be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters five, six, and seven will be up in few hours! <3<3<3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Thank you all so much for the love on the previous chapters! I hope you enjoy the rest.

"I am not okay."

"Yes, you are. You're just...horny. Over Steve. Who just happens to be Captain America."

"Natasha!" Bucky growled at her when she handed him a glass of wine. He gulped it down and sighed. "He coulda fucked me right there in the shop. I would've let him if Handsome Black Dude Sam hadn't come in!"

"I told you he had better arms than me." Clint hobbled into the living room where Bucky was curled up on the couch and wrapped up like a burrito in every blanket out of his den. He had thought he would be able to smother Steve's scent with his own. It hadn't worked. He could still smell him. Even through a dozen layers of fabric. Not that he didn't want to smell him, but he thought he might be able to think more clearly if Steve's scent wasn't stuck in his nose. He'd been wrong.

"I'm hot. It's hot in here, Natasha."

"That's because you have more layers on than a virgin in the Victorian age! Get rid of some of your blankets."

"Clint, my most bestest friend, turn the air conditioner down colder please." Clint hobbled over to the thermostat and put it down as cold as it would go. Bucky gave Natasha a pointed look. "Clint understands me."

"James." Natasha gave him a look he had seen her give Clint more than once. A look of pure exasperation. "You are not going to die if you don't see Steve until tomorrow."

"You don't know that! I feel like I'm dying. I didn't even get his phone number," he sobbed. They had gotten distracted before Steve could give it to him. And now he was miserable. "Why am I like this?" He was never like this. He was a rational adult. He didn't get weepy over shit. He especially didn't get weepy over not getting some dude's phone number. Unless, apparently, that dude was Steve.

"PMS. Drink your tea." Natasha nudged his mug closer to him and he traded his empty wine glass for his mug and tried to free his other arm from his burrito. Natasha rolled her eyes when he only managed to further tangle himself up, then started unwrapping him. When his arm was free she handed him two sugar cookies. "Drink that. Eat these. You'll feel better."

"Natasha?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to his den tomorrow."

"I know."

"I've never been to a proper den before. What're they like?" His family had a cabin in the woods and they just left the doors hanging open so they could run in and out during the full moon.

"Generally they're dug into the ground. It'll be a long tunnel with a den at the end of it. Some wolves use caves."

"Oh. Will I like it?"

"You'll love it," Clint said as he sat next to Bucky. "I didn't think I would. Who wants to be in the dirt like that, right? But after I was in it? It was like...I was safe. You know how he makes you feel safe? And you know how there's always this little part of you that's terrified? That fear was gone. I've never felt safer."

Bucky nodded and sipped his tea then bit into a cookie. Steve made him feel safe. Made him feel a lot of things really. He still wasn't sure if part of it was his hormones or not, but he had never reacted to anyone like he reacted to Steve.

His cell rang from what remained of his blanket burrito and he groaned when he realized it was his mother's ringtone. "Shit. I gotta tell her I'm not going to the cabin this month." He sat his tea down and dug out his phone. "Hi, Ma."

"Jamie, you sound pitiful. Is your PMS that bad?"

"Don't got PMS," he grumbled as he picked his tea back up.

"My poor pup."

"I'm fine, Ma."

"Okay." He could tell she didn't believe him. "Your father wanted to know if you want anything special? We're getting a few things to take to the cabin."

"Um...no. I'm actually...not going this time."

"Oh?" He could practically hear the smile in her voice. "And why not?"

"'’Cause I'm...staying in the city."

"James, you know how dangerous that is. I don't like the idea of you being alone. Especially since you'll be in heat. Your tea might not work this time either.”

"Ma, I got plans!"

"Plans?"

"Oh, just ask already!" He knew she was dying to know about his "plans".

"Did you meet someone?"

"I did. I met my Alpha, Ma."

"Your...oh, honey. I'm happy for you, sweetheart. Daddy will be, too."

"I know. We're gonna go to his place. He's really great, Ma. He's so damn perfect. You don't gotta worry about me."

"When do we get to meet him?"

"After. I'm going to see his den tomorrow. He said he'd fix it however I wanted and get me whatever I want."

"And what's his name?"

"Steve."

"Steve what?"

"Rogers." He mumbled it hoping she wouldn't catch it but she used her Powers of Mom and heard it anyway.

"Just like that nice Captain America boy."

Bucky bit back giggles and looked to see Natasha and Clint do the same. "Uh huh."

"Is it him? He'd be a good wolf to mate. I bet he's great in bed."

"Ma! You can't just say things like that!"

"Oh, please. I'm an adult. I can talk how I like."

"Not about the father of your future grandbabies!"

He winced and jerked the phone away from his ear at her happy yip. "Let me know how he is."

"Gods no! Eww. I gotta go. Love you!” He hung up on her before she could get any weirder and put his phone on silent.

“You just told your mother that you're going to let Captain America bang you and that you were going to have his pups,” Natasha said with a giggle.

“Oh, Gods.” Someone please put him out of his misery. He downed the rest of his tea then sat the mug aside. “She's gonna think we're gonna knock me up already. Shit.”

“Hey, Steve can make you some tea that'll keep you from getting pregnant. I take it all the time,” Clint told him.

“No. Yeah. I know. I just...ugh. Why is everything so hard?” He wanted to have Steve's pups. Not this soon maybe, but he definitely wanted them. His stupid mushy brain hated him. He was getting misty eyed over babies. Ugh. He yawned and shook his head. Why was he so damn tired all at once? “You drug my tea?”

“No. You’re just tired and need to go to sleep, Buck. You've had a long day.”

He yawned again and laid down with his head on Clint’s lap. “Steve calls me Buck.”

Clint laughed and started combing his fingers through Bucky's hair.

“I'm gonna bond with him. Give him all the pups ever.” He could see himself, belly swollen with Steve's litter. Steve doting on him. Bringing him snacks and gifts and everything he desired. Steve cuddling him and rubbing his belly. Laughing happily when he felt them kicking and wiggling at the sound of his voice as he talked to them quietly. His whispered words only for their tiny ears.

“Shh. Close your eyes, Bucky.”

“He's drunk on him, isn't he? Like I was with you.”

“Yeah.”

“Can still hear you assholes. ‘M not drunk.”

“Go to sleep.”

The next thing Bucky knew he was waking up on his couch, spooning Clint with Natasha laying across the back of the couch. Like she had laid up there to watch over them while they slept.

He sighed and stretched as much as he dared without dislodging Clint then tightened his arm back around him. He could still smell Steve on his skin, but now it was muted by Natasha and Clint’s scents. He could think clearer, but didn't know if it was because he had slept or because of their calming scents around him. Either way he wasn't full of hormone soup for the moment and could breathe without crying like a sap.

He wanted to sleep more, but his brain decided to remind him that he was supposed to go with Steve today and he immediately woke all the way up.

Natasha shifted, eyes snapping open, then groaned. “It's too early for you to get wound up.”

“I'm not.” He wasn't. He was excited, slightly terrified even, but not wound up. Not yet. He didn't know what time Steve planned on picking him up and he refused to stress out over it. 

“You are.”

“I wasn’t going to, but you’re making me do it. Stop it. I’m not going to freak out over this. I am going to lay here for another hour to soak up all the good feelings ever and then I am going to get up and shower, find something to wear, and get ready because I don’t know what time he’ll be here.”

Natasha hummed then reached over and combed her fingers through his tangled hair. “You'll be fine. Steve is a good guy.”

“I know." He closed his eyes, intent on dozing for the next hour.

An hour and a half later Bucky was staring at the contents of his closet and whining.

“I don't have anything to wear!”

***

“Have you even slept?”

Steve shook his head and kept walking, trying to balance the stack of silk covered pillows and velvet soft blankets in his arms and barely managing not to trip over the soft blankets as they trailed behind him.

“It's gotta be perfect, Sam.”

“I'm sure he'll love it no matter what. He'll also love you not falling asleep on him.”

Steve rolled his eyes. Sam knew damn good and well that Steve could manage four days without sleep if he had to. He'd done it before and would do it again as long as Bucky was involved. The den had to be perfect and loss of sleep would be worth the look on Bucky's face when he saw it.

“You told me that you were going to let Bucky pick things out.”

“If it's already perfect he won't have to we can stay here today instead of going shopping.”

“You really think you're going to be able to have him in your den for an extended period and not have sex with him?”

That gave Steve pause. He wanted to do things right. Wanted to wait until Bucky's heat. It might have been naive of him to think he and Bucky would be able to control themselves if left alone in the den for longer than it took to look it over. “Um...firstly I'm not an animal. I'm not going to jump him the second he goes inside. Shut up, Sam.” He could see the laughter in Sam's eyes. Knew he was wanting to point out that technically he was an animal since he was a werewolf. “Second of all: I...don't have a second of all, okay? But we are not going to have sex until his heat and that's that. We are mostly functioning adults that are not going to give in to our hormones until we choose to.”

“Okay.” The look Sam gave him was dubious at best.

“We're not gonna do anything, Sam. Now go away before you make this stink.” He wiggled the stack of pillows and blankets as he spoke.

“I don't stink.”

“I'm sorry, that was rude. I only meant that I don't want them to smell like you.”

“Because I stink,” Sam said with a wide smile that showed off the gap between his teeth that Steve had always found adorable.

“Shut up.” Steve pouted at him then sighed and made his way to the elevator that would take him to his floor.

“Those pillows look suspiciously familiar. Like the ones from the couches in the lounge no one uses.”

“Goodbye, Sam.”

He hurried into the elevator as the doors slid open and hit the button for his floor after with his elbow after some fumbling. So what if he'd stolen the pillows. It was exactly as Sam said. No one used that lounge. It would be fine. The pillows wouldn't be missed and if they were Steve would just tell people that his Omega needed them more than they did so it was okay. His mother probably would be appalled that he'd stolen them if she were still around, but she’d understand if she met Bucky. He deserved all the silk covered pillows Steve could find. The softest blankets too which was why Steve had raided that particular lounge anyways. They had a closet full of blankets for whoever wanted to cuddle while watching movies or t.v. shows and Steve knew that Pepper had designed it, not Tony, so there wouldn't be any offending color patterns and the blankets were super soft and cuddly. They matched all the pillows too.

The doors opened and he walked into his tiny forest and headed straight to his den to lay out the pillows and blankets on the massive pile that was already there. He may have liberated pillows and blankets from other lounges, too. Why were there so many lounges? He tossed his loot on the pile then started spreading it out.

When he finished, he realized the pillows and blankets didn't smell like him and sighed. He stripped down and crawled all over them picking up each pillow and blanket and rubbing it along his scent glands. When that didn't feel like enough he, for a moment, considered peeing on them. Thankfully his brain caught up with him and he scrambled away from the bed pit. The thought alone was mortifying. He was not an animal and was not going to prove Sam right by acting like a child that peed on their toys to keep other kids from playing with them. Gods, he had to get a grip on himself.

He was just excited was all. He'd be fine. But the pillows and blankets still didn't smell enough like him. He frowned then grabbed his phone out of his jeans pocket to check the time. It was still early so maybe Bucky was still asleep and Steve didn't have anything else to do because he had already stocked the kitchen hidden by a curtain (hopefully no one in the kitchens would miss the side of beef or the other few small things he had grabbed) so he set an alarm on his phone, just in case, then tossed it aside and crawled back onto the mound of pillows and blankets and wiggled around until he was half buried in the pile and closed his eyes.

When he woke his alarm either hadn't gone off or he had managed to sleep through it because it was three hours later and his poor Bucky was probably worried that he had forgotten him so he dressed as quickly as possible without tearing his clothes and raced to his apartment to shower and change.

***

“He's not coming.” Bucky had been waiting for hours. Granted Steve hadn’t said what time he’d be picking him up, but still. 

“If Steve said he was coming to get you, he'll be here. He's so in love with you it's gross.” Clint wrinkled his nose in distaste, like he and Natasha weren't all gross and lovey dovey.

Bucky stopped pacing and looked at Clint with hopeful eyes. “He loves me?”

“Duh. Maybe he doesn't realize it yet, apparently both of you are a little oblivious about the soulmates thing, but dude. He's so in love with you.”

“Oh.” His stupid traitorous eyes teared up on him again and he growled then marched into the kitchen to make himself another mug of tea for his stupid PMS. He had already had one mug this morning, but he had checked the card to see how often he could drink it and it said four cups a day as needed so he figured another one would be okay. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to drink them so close together, but he was not going to be weepy today.

“It’s not PMS," Clint murmured as he put his hand over Bucky's to stop him from spooning his tea into one of the muslin teabags. "Not all of it. You found your Alpha and your hormones are going to be out of whack until you bond with him." Clint sniffed at him a few times. "That and you got two days tops until your heat. So emotions and things are going to be hard right now."

"If me and Steve are soulmates and that's why I had my heat early last year, why didn't it do the same this year? I mean, one minute I saw him and the next I was in heat."

"No clue. Soulmate magic is weird."

"That and Steve is close to the twins. He's closer to the Sidhe than most people of any species are so he's closer to magic than any of us except Stark,” Natasha added.

"He's a technomage," Clint whispered like the whole world didn't already know. Bucky shook his head with a sigh.

"I just...ugh. Why is everything happening all at once?"

"Magic." Clint did a little hand wavy motion and Bucky rolled his eyes.

“If it's too much too fast you can tell him. He'll understand,” Natasha murmured as she combed her fingers through his hair. 

“No. I just...is this how it always is? This intense?”

“For wolves that find their soulmate, yes.”

“It's not bad, it's great really, just...I wish my emotions would stop being so crazy.” He never did things like this before. His emotions fluctuating from happy to sad to a number of things in between. He definitely blamed Steve for it. Stupid Alpha. It was all Steve’s fault. Just like his shitty heat the year before. Steve was going to make it up to him. He’d make sure of it.

“They'll even out soon,” Natasha told him.

Clint laughed. “Yeah, soon as you get that Alpha knot you been gagging over.”

Natasha smacked him gently on the back of the head. “Don't be uncouth.”

“Just telling it like it is.”

"Yeah." Bucky sighed heavily then raced out of the kitchen with an excited yip at a knock on the door, slightly unstable emotions going from weepy to happy in an instant. He swung the door open after making sure it was Steve and then threw himself into Steve's arms. Steve laughed as he caught him and carried him into the apartment.

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, baby." Steve gave him a quick kiss that had him chasing Steve's lips for more when he pulled away. "Natasha and Clint are here," he asked after scenting the air.

“Yeah, they spent the night last night.”

"He had a rough time after he got home yesterday," Natasha said from where she had snuck up on him and Steve.

"Oh. I'm sorry, sugar. I should've come home with you. Eased off a little instead of just abandoning you like that."

"You didn't abandon him. You know it's just hormones." Bucky could feel Natasha rolling her eyes at him and Steve.

"Even so I should've brought him home."

"Steve, if you brought me home you'd have still been here. I wouldn't have let you leave." He really wouldn’t have. He might’ve even tied Steve up. To keep him from leaving. Not that he would have had to, but still.

"I don't want to leave you."

"Then don't."

Bucky would never let him leave if he didn't really want to. He'd keep him at his side forever. Unless he had to do something Avengers related. Then he'd probably go with him. Maybe. Probably not. Whatever. He didn't want Steve out of his sight again though.

"Gods, will you two just go already?"

"Natasha!"

"You're stinking the place up."

"This is my apartment to stink up." He growled at her and she reached up to pinch the tip of his ear. He yelped and Steve snarled at her, fangs glinting in the light from the lamps. Bucky shuddered, then nosed at Steve's neck, breathing him in. His body got all loose and languid, even though Steve was still growling at Natasha, and he sighed. He'd never get over how good Steve smelled _or_ that tiny part of him that was becoming bigger and bigger that approved of Steve snarling and growling at other Alphas over him. He had always hated the idea of it before, but now that he’d met Steve his brain apparently decided to live up to every single Omega stereotype there was.

"Easy, Steve." Clint came into the living room and stepped between the two Alphas. "She just mean that you two should go ahead and go see your den. Get started on that. Bucky's heat starts soon. You want to have enough time to get everything ready."

Steve didn't stop growling completely but eased up and Bucky whined in his ear. "I wanna go. Let's ditch these losers."

Steve's growls cut off with a startled laugh. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go, baby." When Bucky wiggled to be let down, Steve shook his head and held him tighter. "Let me carry you."

"All the way?"

"Yes. Well, to the bike at least."

"Okay." Bucky shrugged, tightened his legs around Steve's waist, and rested his chin on Steve’s shoulder, sticking his tongue out at Natasha and Clint as Steve turned and carried him out of the apartment. When they reached the bike Steve stood there for a moment, seemed to be wavering over something and Bucky sighed. “You want to hold me while you’re driving the bike, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s dangerous, Steve.”

“I’m certain I can do it.”

Bucky shook his head but wound up sitting on Steve’s lap anyway, facing the cars behind them as they made their way to the tower. When Steve tried to carry him into the tower he finally put his foot down with a growl and told him no, but clung to him like a limpet anyway as they rode the elevator. Bucky asked if they were going to see anyone else there and Steve shook his head with a frown, his scent sharpening in the elevator.

“Is that okay?”

Bucky had nodded and then gasped when the doors opened into what he would think was an actual woodland if he didn’t know better. “This is some Narnia shit, Steve.” Steve laughed quietly then squeezed his hand and led him out of the elevator and into a small clearing.

“It’s mostly magic, a little bit of technology thrown in to mimic certain lighting conditions.”

“This is amazing. If I ever got tired of pretending to be mostly human I’d move in here and never leave.”

“You don’t have to pretend. Not here, Buck. Not with me.” Steve gave him a sweet smile and he gave him back one of his own.

“I know, but if I stop now then we’ll never leave because all my wolf wants to do is jump on your knot and stay there.” Steve groaned and Bucky nodded with a grin. “It’s a problem.”

“Not really.”

Bucky laughed at that then looked at the trees. Beech, oak, dogwood, and aspen were all that he could name. He bet Steve knew the names of all of them and what, if anything, they could be used for. Steve tugged on his hand gently.

“Do you want to look around some more? We can shift?”

Oh, that sounded fun, but Bucky knew if they shifted there’d be nothing stopping either one of them from acting on their basest desires. Bucky barely had a filter when he was in his skin, and he definitely didn’t have one when he was in his fur. They’d have to wait until later since Steve wanted to do everything properly.

“We should wait.”

“Whatever you want, Buck.”

“Take me to your den?”

Steve smiled, smelled nervous when so far he’d been relaxed, then led him out of the small clearing. It took a few minutes of walking through the trees, Steve wasn’t lying when he said he had an entire floor of the tower, to get to the den. Steve’s scent growing stronger the closer they got to it. When they stopped at what he was fairly certain was a manade cave instead of a hole in the ground he frowned.

“Clint and Natasha lied to me. They said it was a tunnel dug into the dirt. Those asshats!”

Steve laughed, lifting Bucky’s hand to kiss his knuckles. “Natasha and Clint’s den is. No matter how she acts she’s a little more feral than the rest of us.”

“She still scruffs me if I do something she doesn’t think I should be doing.”

“I’ve seen her scruff Clint plenty of times. Playfully, mind you, but I’ve seen her do it. If I ever see her scruff you it might cause problems.”

Bucky shuddered at the possessive edge in Steve’s voice. Part of him wanted to tell Steve off for suggesting he’d fight Natasha over him, but that stupid part of him that wanted a possessive Alpha mostly thought it was kind of hot. He was sure they would both settle down after his heat. They would for sure settle down if they bonded. He still needed to ask Steve if that was something he’d want to do this time or if he wanted to wait a year. He wanted to be mated to Steve. Would do it in a heartbeat, but they needed to actually talk about it beforehand. At least pretend to be functioning, responsible adults.

“Are you ready to go in?”

Bucky nodded, gave Steve a reassuring smile, and stepped into the cave. Steve let him wait until his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave then walked him further into it. When they reached the end, Bucky gasped at the room before them.

There was a nest of pillows in the small circular den. All of them in jewel toned silk. Swaths of soft looking fabric that might be blankets were peeking out from the piles of pillows. Dim lamps set on low tables. Tucked away behind a curtain he could hear the humming of what he thought was an industrial sized refrigerator. He let go of Steve’s hand and walked to the nest, pulled one of the blankets from the pile and brought it to his nose. It smelled like happy Steve. Smoke and chocolate, a touch of caramel. He smiled and wrapped the blanket around himself then let himself fall forward onto the rest of the pillows and blankets. He laughed when he sunk in a little then wiggled around until he had a perfect groove to lay in. Steve watched him with a sappy smile and he smiled back then closed his eyes, breathing in Steve’s scent wafting up from the pillows and blankets.

When he finally brought himself to leave the nest that smelled exclusively of Steve-but not for long, he found a tiny kitchen behind the curtain. Or maybe the size of it was dwarfed by the fridge. There was a microwave, a stove, sink, even a coffee maker. It seemed to have anything and everything a wolf might need.

“Look in the fridge, doll.”

Bucky grinned at Steve over his shoulder and then looked inside the freezer section to find trays of precooked meals. Most of it consisting of different meats and pasta dishes. In the refrigerator part was hung what looked like a side of beef as well as smaller bundles wrapped in butcher's paper. The door was filled with bottles of water, electrolyte drinks, bottled smoothies and protein drinks. 

“All this is ours?”

“It's all ours.”

They may not be able to hunt, but Steve was providing for him as best as he was able to in the city. Bucky sniffled quietly, eyes tearing up, and was immediately pulled into Steve's arms.

“Are you okay?”

“Mmm. Good tears. I'm fine.” He wrapped his arms around Steve as tightly as he could and sighed. “Can we snuggle in the nest?”

“Anything you want, Buck. Do you want to go shopping first?”

“Don't need anything. You got everything I could ever want.”

“Okay, baby. Let’s go lay down.” Steve led him back to the nest then paused at the edge of the pillow and blankets. “Do you want skin?” Bucky nodded and damn near choked on his tongue when Steve whipped his shirt off, leaving him in just his jeans and boots, and showing off the abs Bucky had dreamt about for years. He wanted to lick Steve from navel to neck and every possible inch in between. Wanted to bite and suck and leave pale bruises on his skin. Gods Steve was even more perfect than he’d imagined. He whined, reaching for Steve and he immediately stepped closer, pulled Bucky into a hug. “Are you okay, Buck?”

“Yeah. Just...you’re so beautiful, Steve. And you got that V thing. I wanna lick it.” He grinned at the light blush on his Alpha’s cheeks and Steve laughed, hands sliding down to Bucky’s hips, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. Bucky nodded and held his arms up, let Steve pull his shirt off and throw it somewhere on the nest.

“Let’s lay down, Buck. Take a nap if you want. I’ll get us something to eat after.”

Seconds later Bucky was snuggled up against Steve, the pillows and blankets half on top of them from them settling down. Soon the nest would smell like both of them. Bucky couldn’t wait to smell his scent over every single surface of the den.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The badly written smut has arrived! 😂

Steve watched his Omega sleep, Bucky’s fingers clutching the edge of one of the blankets he’d stolen from the lounge closet tightly. He would occasionally whimper or twitch in his sleep, but stilled and quieted when Steve combed his fingers through his hair or traced the lines between his brows. Maybe he was being creepy, but it was nice just to lay there and watch Bucky sleeping. His face lax with sleep, breathing deep and calm with occasional snuffles or whines. He wasn’t grumpy, yet, or panicking about anything. He was relaxed, content. His scent had been slowly filling the den since they had come in and was now permeating the small room and Steve inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of happy Omega. _His_ happy Omega. He had never thought he’d ever find a compatible Omega much less a soulmate, had given up on it really, but here he was.

He lifted his hand from Bucky’s hair to look at the rose tattooed onto his palm and saw that it was fully bloomed and already fading at the edges. He smiled and shifted so Bucky was half draped over him, head resting on his chest over his heart, and covered them with one of the many blankets. He had never felt more relaxed than he did now. He closed his eyes with a sigh and wrapped his arms around Bucky, holding him close.

He woke later to Bucky shifting restlessly and whining, making little sounds of discomfort. It took him a moment to realize that the scent now filling the den was of Bucky’s slick and arousal and the Omega was grinding on his hip. His brain immediately turned to liquid and he slid his hand down to grip Bucky’s hip.

“Buck? Are you awake?” A nod and a whine were followed by Bucky clutching at him, fingertips leaving bruises that would fade almost immediately.

“Please. Hurts, Steve.”

"Buck?"

His Omega whined again and Steve's still half asleep brain realized that Bucky's heat was almost here already. Shit. He thought they'd have time to spend a couple days together first. Bucky's hips twitched hard at Steve's groan.

"Hey, it's alright, sugar. Do you want some tea? I can mix some up. Delay your heat for a little bit."

"No. Tastes like crap." Bucky never stopped moving, writhing against him now. "Want you."

Steve's brain shorted out when Bucky shifted on top of him, pressing their hips together tightly with a shudder. Lust warred with concern as his hands gripped Bucky's hips without his say so as their cocks lined up. Bucky whined, grasping at Steve's shoulders, never once stopping that sinful roll of his hips.

"Sweetheart, I really think we should talk about this." Though he couldn't really remember why they would need to talk about it. It was something they both wanted. Something Bucky needed, even. His brain was turning into mush. Only thinking of the ways he could take his Omega apart and put him back together again. His cock twitched and he groaned.

"Why?" Bucky whined, fingernails digging into his skin, and he lifted a hand to Bucky's chin, gently raising his head from where it was tucked against the scent glands on his neck. Bucky's face was flushed, blue eyes blown black. Sweat glistened on his skin.

"Your heat is early."

"I know! Stupid fuckin' hormones," he growled and twisted his chin out of Steve's hand, burying his face back in his neck and biting down on the glands, but not hard enough to break his skin. Steve yelped, hand scrabbling at Bucky's shoulder. Shit. Bucky was too far gone already.

"Okay. Okay, Omega mine." Steve slid his hands between them and undid the fly of Bucky's jeans, earning new whimpers when his knuckles brushed over his cock. He pushed Bucky's jeans down and the Omega shuddered and whined when his cock scraped over Steve's jeans. Steve managed to stop himself from pawing at Bucky's ass and undid his own jeans, wriggling around until they were around his thighs. Bucky tried to straddle him and he shook his head, grabbing his hips to hold him still.

"Like this. Just like this, baby." He wasn't going to fuck him until his head was clear enough to talk about it first. No matter how good his slick smelled or how much stronger the scent was now that his jeans were out of the way. He'd never smelled anything so sweet. Bucky whined again but melted against him when he rolled his hips against Bucky's.

"Please," Bucky sobbed. "Steve."

His pleased growl escaped without thought and he rolled them over, burying his nose against Bucky's neck and breathing him in. He took over, grinding their hips together. Bucky's cock already so wet with precome and flushed a pretty shade of red when he raised up and looked between them. Bucky was smaller than him, normal for an Omega, but not as small as most Omegas. It still made the wolf in him wake up and howl. Made him reach between them and take their cocks in hand.

"Look at that, Buck. Look how little I make you look."

Bucky whined, lifted his head to look down at them and shuddered hard with a jerk of his hips, thrusting his cock through the ring of Steve's fingers. "Oh! Gods, Steve. Why," he trailed off into a series of whimpers. "Hot."

"Mmm. Look at us. Gods you fit in my hand so perfect. So pretty, Buck." Bucky's hands slammed down on his shoulders. "You gonna come for me, Buck? Wanna see you. I wanna see you come all over me. Want to smell like you. Want it rubbed into my skin. Wanna do the same to you. Everyone will know we belong to each other. So pretty Buck. Come on, sugar. That's it. Let go." Steve was vaguely aware he was babbling now. Too lost watching Bucky take his pleasure. Lost to the whimpers and whines leaving him. "Gonna come for me?" Steve grinned, half feral, and shifted enough to slide his other hand between them, all his weight on his knees, precariously balanced above his Omega. He slid his hand down past Bucky's balls, giving him a light grope that made him keen, and slid his fingers through his slick. He traced a finger over Bucky's hole, wished he could see how puffy and open it felt, then gently pushed inside, marveling over how easy Bucky took him. Bucky arched up against him with a sob and Steve watched his shudder and shake through his orgasm, cock spurting between them. Steve gave a shudder of his own and swiped up some of Bucky's come, using it for lube as he stroked himself. He couldn't come unless there was something gripping his knot and he groaned. Bucky was still riding his hand though, cock going soft against his belly, so he didn't want to move to finish himself off.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Hi."

"Hi, baby."

Bucky lifted his head with a sweet, satisfied smile then looked between them and frowned. "You didn't come." Steve shook his head with a whine and Bucky's eyes widened with realisation. "Oh. I forgot." He reached down and wrapped his fingers around Steve's knot and squeezed tightly. "Alphas are so weird."

Steve laughed as he came almost immediately and wow that felt fucking strange. He fell to the side, not wanting to squish Bucky, and settled in close since he still had a finger inside him. Bucky seemed content with it, still rolling his hips slowly so Steve would just stay where he was.

Bucky eventually fell still after shifting enough to pull off of Steve's hand and sighed. "I'm guessing we gotta talk about stuff before it hits again."

"Yeah. Let me get you some water. Something to eat."

Bucky whined and shook his head. "Don't wanna eat."

"Something to drink then. I'll get you a smoothie."

"If you must." He grinned at the pointed look Steve gave him.

"I must." Steve gave him a gentle kiss then pulled away from him slowly and stood. He took his boots and socks off then shucked his jeans and tossed them somewhere in the nest where he knew Bucky would want them. Bucky smiled up at him, wiggled out of the rest of his clothes and then tossed them behind him. Gods, he adored Bucky. "I'll be right back."

He ran to the kitchen and back and dropped down next to Bucky. He cracked open the smoothie bottle then handed it to him, watching him as he took a drink.

"Okay, so we need to talk about how we're going to do this."

"Yup." Bucky handed the half empty bottle to him and he screwed the lid back on.

"Any preferences?"

"Um...not particularly. I mean…I've never done this with anyone before."

Steve's brain shorted out and he wheezed. Oh, damn. He couldn't help the rumble deep in his chest and Bucky blushed.

"I mean, I'm only technically a virgin because I've never been knotted before. I slept with a couple Betas before."

"Okay." Why did that hit so many buttons? "What about bonding? Is that...is that something you want?"

Bucky nodded with another pretty blush. "Yeah. If you do. If not, we can wait."

"I want it, too."

Bucky grinned then snuggled up against him. "What about pups? Should we wait for those?"

Steve's brain finished the slow short circuit that had been happening since he woke as he imagined Bucky's belly swollen with their pups. His sharp jawline softening, thighs too. Hips widening as he got ready to give birth. He'd take such good care of him and their pups.

"I uh…" He whined and Bucky laughed quietly.

"I guess I know your answer. We can, you know. If you want. I mean...we can wait. We don't have to rush. But I like the idea."

"Me too. I'll uh...I can make some tea so you won't get pregnant though. Just in case? And you can drink it if you want and if not…" He trailed off with a shrug and Bucky nodded.

"Okay. We'll think about it more. Do you need to go to your shop to get the stuff for it?"

"No. I have some here. I keep a bunch of stuff on hand for the team." He handed the smoothie back to Bucky and watched him as he drank the rest of it.

"You should let them know what's going on, huh? Natasha at least so she won't worry about me."

"Okay, doll. We should rest more before your heat hits completely."

Bucky nodded then laid down and pulled him down beside him. "Snuggle me."

Their snuggling lasted for all of thirty glorious minutes before Bucky shoved him over with a whine.

“Get the fuck off me. I’m hot. Why’s it so fucking hot in here?” Steve risked a slap to the hand and pressed the back of his hand to Bucky’s forehead. He was burning up, body soaked with sweat, hair wet with it. The pillows and blankets making up the nest were probably soaked. Not that they wouldn’t get soaked eventually what with his heat but still.

“Heat. I’ll get you some water, baby. You need to drink as much as you can so you don’t get dehydrated. Are you sure you don’t want some tea?”

“I’m sure.” He groaned and rolled over onto his side.

“I’ll be right back.”

He got Bucky to drink most of his water before another wave hit, this one worse than the first. It took three orgasms to settle him this time, mostly because Steve still wouldn’t fuck him. Bucky was still a gorgeous strung out mess, would only get more so, and Steve was almost dreading the full force of Bucky’s heat. He knew Bucky’s last heat had been terrible, but he had never seen someone’s heat start like this. Not this fast. He wished Bucky would stop being stubborn about drinking the tea, but it was Bucky’s choice. If it got too bad Steve would ask him to drink some anyway.

It wasn’t long before Bucky was whining again, begging Steve for his knot. For his Alpha. Steve groaned then scruffed Bucky to calm him down long enough to drink another bottle of water while he drank one himself.

"It hurts."

"I know, baby. You need it bad, huh?" Bucky whined, head moving in a jerky nod. "Alright, Omega mine. Present for me."

Bucky was trembling as he moved to his hands and knees, dropped his chest to a mound of pillows with his gorgeous ass in the air, legs spread as far as he could get them to show off his hole and the copious amounts of slick dripping from it.

"There we go, baby." Steve couldn't help the growl in his voice, couldn't help but lean in and palm Bucky's ass and swipe his tongue through his slick. Bucky keened, shoving himself back and Steve moaned. "Taste so sweet, Buck." He shoved his tongue inside, lapping up as much of the slick as he could. It dripped down his chin, made a mess of himself and Bucky. He couldn't bring himself to care and reached around to stroke Bucky's cock.

Bucky was sobbing by the time he had come for the second time and Steve knew better than to make him wait any longer. He stood on his knees and slid his cock through Bucky's slick, getting himself wet. Bucky tensed as the head of his cock caught on his rim then whined when Steve slid past.

"Please."

"Easy, sugar. Gotta go slow."

"Don't wanna!"

"I know."

Steve pushed in slow, forcing himself and Bucky to relax every little bit. He was hot and tight even after being fingered and eaten out so much and so very, very wet. Steve revelled in the messy sounding squelch when he was finally fully seated inside his Omega. "Take me so well, baby. Like you were made for me. For this." Bucky shifted restlessly and Steve pulled out slowly then shoved himself back inside with a snap of his hips. Bucky wailed, cock spurting untouched onto the pillows and blankets below while Steve fought off his own orgasm.

"Knot me. Knot me, knot me."

"I will, doll. Want you to come again first." 

Bucky whimpered, shook his head. “I can't."

"Yes, you can. I want to feel you come on my knot. You feel how hard you make me? Just for you, baby. I’ll give it to you whenever you want. However you want. Hard and fast." He snapped in hard, nailing Bucky's prostate to hear him scream. "Or soft and slow." He slowed to a gentle grind. "Just gotta tell me, Omega mine."

"Hard. Fuck!" Bucky yelped when Steve started fucking into him in earnest, gripping his hips tightly to pull him back into his thrusts. He hit Bucky's prostate every other thrust, enjoying the way he clenched around him and cried out when he did. His knot started to pop, tugging at Bucky’s hole with every movement and his Omega keened, flailed a hand back to grab his wrist. “Steve. Alpha, please.”

“I know, Buck. I gotcha.” He thrust a few more times, groaning each time his knot caught on Bucky’s rim until he couldn’t pull out anymore. He leaned over Bucky’s back, pressing as much skin against skin as he could and shoved in hard, nailing Bucky’s prostate and grinding his knot against it while licking and sucking on his scent glands. Bucky’s entire body tensed with a sound caught between a whimper and a wail then went loose and languid as he came, hole spasming around Steve’s cock, gripping his knot just right to have him coming. He bit down on Bucky’s glands hard enough to break skin as he filled him up and it felt like his orgasm started all over again as the bond settled. He could feel Bucky’s emotions. Love and lust and surprise at how it felt to be knotted by something other than a toy. Satisfaction like he’d never felt before. A little bit of pride for reducing Steve to a panting mess that lapped the blood from his neck as it seeped from the bite mark. Steve lifted his head at that after one last swipe of his tongue over the bite and saw the smug, if exhausted, smile on Bucky’s face.

“I fucking love you.”

“I know. Love you too,” Bucky said with a happy sigh. “I can feel you. Can’t feel my fucking legs mind you, but I can feel you. Lots of you. Budge over.” Bucky couldn’t even get through the sentence without giggling instead of grumping and Steve rolled his eyes then rolled them over to rest on their sides. He immediately wrapped his arms around Bucky, holding him tightly, and started licking at the bite again.

“Feels good, Alpha.”

“Mmm. Rest now, Omega mine. Still got a ways to go.”

“M’kay.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okies, this is the end, though not the end for our Alpha and Omega. I'll be doing a one shot soon. A slice of life type thing so subscribe to the series if you wanna read that bit too. (There'll be babies.)
> 
> Amazing art by the super amazing , supportive, and talented WitchyLurker will be added! So keep an eye out here for it. They can be found here, Tumblr, and Twitter! (Links are being a butt right now.)
> 
> This was beta'd by the super awesome panthergyrl over on Tumblr. Go say hi! (All remaining errors are my own.)
> 
> More of my fics can be found here. And I can also be found on Tumblr @lilyinthesnow.
> 
> Come say hi to us!

Bucky woke slowly, not quite sure what had woken him. Steve was still wrapped around him like an octopus. He wasn’t so horny he thought he would die anymore. Steve’s knot had gone down and he’d slipped out sometime in the night. Bucky wrinkled his nose with a grimace when he became aware of the mess between his thighs and still seeping from his hole. He needed a bath. Again. He stretched slowly so as not to wake Steve and thought back over his heat. How desperate he’d been to be filled. The gnawing emptiness inside when he wasn’t. The week and a day of alternating between sleeping, having sex, eating, and cuddling in the bath. 

The three nights surrounding the full moon had been wild with barely restrained violence, both of them running half-feral through the woods. Bucky testing his tracking skills to hunt the side of beef that had hung in the fridge. Steve had disappeared with it into the woods and came back smelling all smug like Bucky wouldn’t be able to find it. At first Bucky couldn’t discern the scent of blood and meat for having so much of Steve surrounding him, but he’d eventually found it and howled over it until Steve came running and tackled him into the dirt. They had play fought, Steve letting Bucky pin him and bite at his throat. It had devolved from there and now there might or might not be a new clearing in their woods, and the ground in that clearing may or may not be covered in claw marks.

One night they went to sleep, sore and exhausted, and the next morning was like the sun breaking over the clouds. Bucky’s heat was over. That overwhelming need was gone leaving contentment and love flowing through the bond. Bucky wouldn't have had it any other way. Steve had made the tea to keep Bucky from getting pregnant, giving him the choice one way or another. They had talked at length about whether to wait for their pups or not and Bucky still had to dump the tea three times to get Steve to take him seriously. He wanted his pups damnit! Steve wanted them. Bucky wanted them. By Gods they were going to have them.

Now here they were. Still content. Still in love. Still pregnant. As if hearing Bucky’s thoughts Steve’s hand strayed to his belly, rubbing over the taut skin and he rolled his eyes as his dumb Alpha. Steve had toned down the possessive Alpha shit that Bucky hated most of the time after their bond had settled completely, but now that he was showing so much it had gotten worse. His mother had assured him it was perfectly normal for Alphas to get all territorial of their Omega’s stomachs. Especially if there was more than one pup. Bucky had talked about litters before, but four seemed like an awful lot to start out with. He blamed Steve’s super sperm. He blamed Steve in general when his back started aching and his feet were swelling and when his moods shifted rapidly from happy to miserably sad to angrier than he’d ever been in his life in the same second.

Steve doted on him. Sometimes too much, but Bucky knew it was just Steve’s way of worrying. He barely let Bucky walk on his own now, too afraid he might fall and get hurt. That their pups might get hurt. Maybe they should’ve waited, but Bucky figured since Steve’s rose tattoo had faded completely away after his heat and after he had dumped the tea, then they were supposed to have their pups now. He would shift when the time came, have them in their den. Steve and Bucky’s mother would help deliver them. And if Steve turned into one of those Alphas that fainted and were basically useless the entire time he was in labor he’d strangle him after he was done popping out his pups.

He growled at Imaginary Useless Future Steve. He didn’t think Steve would be useless, he was a soldier and a healer after all, but Bucky was his Omega and he knew things were different because of that. Imaginary Useless Future Steve better get and keep his shit straight. Bucky was having his babies, the least he could do was not be useless while Bucky was in labor for however fucking long it was going to take. Fuckin’ Alphas. And whoever would inevitably try to take over the world next better wait until after Bucky had his pups. So far they had kept Steve home as much as possible, but there were still some times when the world needed Captain America so Steve would go and come home as soon as the bad guys were defeated looking all roughed up and sweaty and Bucky’s hormones had liked that a lot. Like _a lot._

The hand on his belly shifted, gliding over the swell of it with a rasp of skin on skin. The pups wiggled and kicked and Bucky rolled his eyes. They always moved more for Steve than they did him. Like half of them remembered the warmth and comfort of Steve’s nutsack or something. Maybe they preferred it better. He sometimes wished Steve was the one carrying the little shits. But that was usually because whenever he tried to go to sleep was about the time the pups woke up and jumped on his bladder and spleen. He loved them dearly, but sometimes he wanted to be the one watching Steve get fat and have swollen feet and ankles and mood swings and get kicked in the spleen from the inside.

“It’s too early in the day for you to be this grumpy already.”

“I am not grumpy.” He wasn’t! He was maybe contemplating a way for Steve to be the one giving birth to their litter soon, but he wasn’t grumpy.

“Okay, baby. It’s just...you’re always a little grumpy when you wake up. And when you’re sleepy and ready for bed. And when you’re hungry.” Steve kissed his cheek after each example as if that would lessen the blow of being accused of being grumpy. Which, rude, but whatever. Bucky wasn’t grumpy. He could feel Steve’s amusement through their bond and scrambled as fast as he could, trying to roll over to face his dumb Alpha. Steve helped him, letting go of him as soon as he got to facing him, but his hands still strayed back to Bucky’s distended stomach. Bucky glared at him, he wasn’t pouting okay, it was a glare. Didn’t matter how cute Steve thought it was. Dude was a sap, what did he know from dangerous? “You’re just a little grumpy is all, Buck.”

“I am not grumpy, Steven,” he growled. And wow his growl must not be scary at all anymore because Steve just gave him a happy smile then kissed his nose like he was humoring a pup that had just discovered its growl. “I’m dangerous!” He really was. He might not look like it right now what with all the pups and new fluffy bits in the way, but he was totally dangerous.

“I know.”

“I could rip you limb from limb if I wanted.”

“I know, baby.”

“I can! I could rip out your spleen,” Bucky added with a yawn. How could he be tired again already? He’d just woken up. He grumbled about the pups taking all his energy then snuggled closer to Steve and closed his eyes. “‘M not grumpy, Steve.” Steve’s arms wrapped around him, body shaking from his giggles, and he tucked his head under Steve’s chin.

“I know you’re not, Omega mine. Go back to sleep, it’s early yet.”

“‘M not grumpy,” he grumbled one last time. Just to make sure his Alpha understood how not grumpy he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed this! 💖💖💖💖💖


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